


Lokied!

by Dimensional_Phaser



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dimensional_Phaser/pseuds/Dimensional_Phaser
Summary: How could one little choice change everything? He didn't mean for it to have gone this way, he just didn't want to get into as much trouble with his inventions and Loki seemed his way out…who know the god of tricks and mischief could actually make his life easier?





	1. Identity

Hiccup sighed heavily as he looked down at a sketch of his newest, failed, invention. A dragon raid had come and so he had gone out to test it…only to destroy half a house. “I suppose it could have been worse.”  
Crumpling the paper in frustration he sat down at his desk and began flicking the pencil up just for it to roll back down, the process repeating several times. He had received another, very loud, lecture from his father about his inventions and the destruction they brought. That in-itself wasn’t what was bothering him right now, he had received them enough to just brush them off for the most part.  
No. What was bothering him was the twins. Not a day before the raid they had lost—so they said—half of their fish supply in some stupid prank on Sven. And they only received a mild punishment for it! No village hating them or down putting them, just a mild punishment of cleaning the dragon pens. So what was different about him and them?  
The amount of destruction wasn’t it, the twins caused just as much throughout the week as Hiccup did during a single raid. Could it be their standing in life? He was the heir after all so it made sense to hold him up to a higher standing…yet they held him so low that it couldn’t be that. So what was it?!  
Hiccup glared at the various papers hanging on the wall in front of him while he thought. He was about to just give up and blame it on him being a hiccup when a single word popped into his head—Loki.  
The twins served Loki. Everyone knew it so when they ‘Lokied’ someone they couldn’t get into a horrendous amount of trouble because they were just dutifully and faithfully serving their god of choice. Just like the rest of Berk serves Thor, Hiccup mused.  
It was a well-known fact of Berk that unless you openly declared to serve someone else, you automatically served Thor.  
Hiccup grinned, finally seeing what he had been missing before. He was currently serving Thor and was failing because should be…he should be serving Loki. It made sense, he was basically born to serve him. He was a runt and the runt belonged to Loki. Also he never thought with his fists like Thor but used his mind and cunning like Loki.  
Hiccup ran out of his little room in the forge and to his house, finding it empty. It didn’t bother him though, he had to think for a while before his father came back—no doubt he wouldn’t like what Hiccup had to say.

The hours seemed to pass slowly until the sun went down and Hiccup heard the door close. He peeked out of his room to see his dad walk in. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves Hiccup left his room and walked downstairs, “D-dad?”  
Stoic turned after he finished pouring himself a cup of mead, “Hiccup, what it is? Please tell me you didn’t blow anything else up.”  
He hurriedly shook his head, “No, everything is still in one piece.”  
Stoic breathed a sigh of relief, “Good, good. What did ya need?”  
Hiccup swallowed thickly, “I, came to say that I finally figured out what I’m supposed to do.”  
Stoic blinked several times before he smiled, “Finally saw the sense to quit making those inventions of yours did you!?”  
“No.” Hiccup said carefully, and a little shakily as he fought to keep his voice steady, “No I finally figured out that I’m supposed to be serving Loki, not Thor.”  
Stoic spit out a bit of the mead that he had been drinking, “I’m sorry Hiccup, you said that you’re supposed to be serving Loki?”  
Hiccup nodded, “Yes, i-it makes sense. I’m a runt and, well, runts shouldn’t really serve Thor. And basically everything I do serves Loki more than Thor in any case.”  
Stoic stood and gripped Hiccup by the shoulders, “Son, I don’t think you know what you’re saying. Berk lives to serve Thor not Loki.”  
“But the twins do! And no one says anything against that!” Hiccup refuted.  
Stoic frowned, “The twins are the twins, we couldn’t really do much with them anyway. But Hiccup, you are different-”  
“Exactly! I should be-”  
“Not in that way! In that way yes—but that’s not what I mean! Son, you are the heir to this tribe and this tribe serves Thor. They can’t be having a chief who serve one god while they serve another.”  
“Why not? Dad I’ve all but been born into serving Loki.” He gestured to all of himself. “You tell me otherwise. It’d be insulting to Thor!”  
“I’m not saying that but you can’t serve his brother while leading a tribe that serves him! Get that through your head.”  
“I understand that but I don’t think it matters, Loki’s already laid claim and Thor hasn’t done anything to say otherwise!”  
Stoic went to rebuke the idea but couldn’t find any solid ground to combat Hiccup’s last statement. “Hiccup you are not doing this and that is final.”  
“You can’t stop me dad, I’ve already decided to serve Loki.”  
Stoic whirled around, red in the face, “Hiccup-”  
“I just thought you’d want to know. I’m serving Loki, not Thor.”  
Stoic could only stand there with a frown while Hiccup walked back to his room. After he disappeared he finally let out a breath, “Oh Thor why?” He muttered as he rubbed the area between his eyes, feeling a two ice block headache coming on.

The teenagers of Berk, minus Hiccup, sat at a table in the Great Hall. It was lunch and they were all discussing the news and other senseless topics of the week. However, two in particular were very quiet as they conversed with one another. Tuffnut grinned as he leaned closer to his sister, “You’re kidding me right? This is some kind of terrible trick?”  
Ruffnut shook her head, “No Tuff, I’m not kidding. I overheard it from the chief while he was talking to Gobber, Hiccup has officially declared to serve Loki.”  
Tuffnut’s eyes began to gleam as tears of joy threatened them, “Oh Loki let it be so! Oh the destruction that boy can wreak, in fell swoop too—oh he’d be perfect.”  
Snotlout turned to talk to Tuffnut after Astrid had punched him once again for hitting on her when he tuned into the last part of their conversation, “What are you two talking about?”  
Tuffnut suddenly sat up straight and said quickly, “Nothing!”  
Ruffnut stood and grabbed Tuff and marched out of the Hall before either could say anything more. Snotlout looked at them in confusion before turning to the others, “Uh, that was weird, right?”  
Fishlegs shrugged while Astrid said, “The twins are weird in general.”  
“Well duh but you can not admit that they were weirder than usual.”  
Again Fishlegs and Astrid shrugged and Snotlout groaned before getting up and following them.

Hiccup pounded away on a broken sword when someone yelled behind him, “Hiccup!”  
“Ah!” He turned, wide-eyed, as he held the hammer close. “Tuffnut!”  
Both the twins snickered, “You were full on Lokied.”  
Hiccup glared coldly, “I was working, thank you.”  
“Hiccup, Hiccup, you must learn to take a break now and then. Especially now that you’ve joined the club!”  
“Wha-” He started to breath before Ruffnut cut him off.  
“Allow my brother and I to teach you the finer arts of Loki-ing people. It is a great skill and one you have a fine potential for.”  
Hiccup suddenly realized now what they meant, “Uh, how did you guys find that out?”  
Ruffnut grinned, “When one choses to serve Loki in such a place as Berk you tend to learn who they are very quickly.”  
Tuffnut leaned on Hiccup’s shoulder as he continued on, “Not to mention that Ruff overheard the chief telling Gobber about it.”  
“Yeah, he sounded pretty mad.” Ruff grinned.  
Hiccup pushed Tuff’s arm off his shoulder, “Uh, yeah. He was pretty mad.”  
“Understandable Hiccup.” Ruffnut said in almost a, soothing way? Hiccup looked at her through the corner of his eye as she came closer and pat him on the back.  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, I would be too if I was Thor’s chosen and my son chose to serve my hated brother.”  
“Tuff? Thor doesn’t hate Loki, disagree sometimes but they don’t hate each other.”  
“Tomato-tomato.”  
“And what do you mean my dad is ‘Thor’s chosen’?”  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut folded their hands in a professional manner as Tuffnut answered, “Well my dear Hiccup, Chief Stoic is in every sense of the word—the embodiment of Thor. He’s strong-”  
“And brave to a stupid degree.” Ruffnut added.  
“And fits what Thor would be on Midgard perfectly.” Tuffnut concluded.  
“So? He’s just upset because I’m choosing a ‘non-Viking-like’ path again.”  
Ruffnut clasped her hands together, “Well what can you do when you’re Loki’s chosen? It only makes sense that you follow him.”  
“Ruff, I’m not-”  
Tuffnut stopped him with a figure to the lips and Hiccup rolled his eyes, “O’ contraire my friend, you are. You’re a runt.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “You’re always causing mass destruction.”  
“Thank you for that reminder.” Hiccup grumbled.  
“And best of all, you think like Loki himself!” Tuffnut beamed.  
“Oh gods.” Hiccup buried his head into his hands, “Guys, the reason I’m following Loki is so that I don’t get into as much trouble when something like…last night happens.”  
“Exactly!” Ruffnut yelled, “You’ve finally realized who you truly are!”  
Hiccup opened his mouth to refute them when he stopped and blinked, thinking for a moment…“Why are you guys doing this?”  
“Duh.” Tuffnut said smartly as Ruffnut finished.  
“Because you’re one of us now!”  
“Wait, you really want me to be around you guys?” Hiccup asked in shock.  
Both Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded their heads, “Of course fellow trickster!”  
Hiccup looked between the two with cautious and calculating eyes, “You’re not just pulling my leg and dropping me tomorrow, are you?”  
Tuffnut frowned, “No! We couldn’t do that to our only other Loki follower.” He leaned over and whispered into Hiccup’s ear, “We’re a bit outnumbered here on Berk if you haven’t noticed. All of them following Thor, heathens.”  
“I guess what have I got to lose?” Hiccup sighed.  
“YES!” Both twins cheered as they ran over and crushed Hiccup in a hug.  
“Uh-” Hiccup said unsure, not used to such affection.  
The door to the forge was suddenly thrown open and Snotlout march in, “What in Thor’s name are you two doing!?” The look of disbelief and bewilderment written all over his face.  
“What does it look like?” Ruffnut asked.  
Tuffnut finished, “Hiccup’s a trickster follower now! Isn’t it awesome! Think of the havoc we can now wreak, together!”  
Snotlout frowned and Hiccup took a subconscious step back, “No, no this isn’t ‘awesome’, this is LUDICROUS! Why him!”  
“Because he’s the perfect Loki follower.” Tuffnut explained, “He was born to serve him.”  
Snotlout glared at the three of them before leaving. He passed Astrid and Fishlegs who stood outside, “Well? What was it?”  
Snotlout scoffed, “Apparently, Hiccup now ‘follows’ Loki and is the twins new best friend.”  
“Seriously?” Astrid asked, stifling a laugh.  
The twins exited the forge, grins and giggles, and passed the trio who looked at them suspiciously, “What are you looking at?” Ruffnut asked.  
“Did you guys really just make friends with Hiccup?” Fishlegs asked, almost apprehensively.  
Tuffnut and Ruffnut shrugged as the latter answered, “Yeah, how could we not,”  
“He’s our brother in Loki-ing! Because, you know, he’s not really our brother in blood…that would just be weird. I think, wouldn’t it? Yeah it would.” Tuffnut concluded.  
Snotlout just rolled his eyes and walked away with a unsettled grunt and Astrid shook her head before following—in the opposite direction.  
Fishlegs watch the twins walk away, discussing between themselves about how much Hiccup would help them Loki people and everything he could build for it. Fishlegs looked between them and the forge before steeling himself and walking in. Hiccup had resumed his work on the sword and Fishlegs watched him for several minutes while he worked.  
Hiccup stopped banging on the sword due to the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning he saw that Fishlegs was watching him. Brow knit in confusion he asked, “Something I can help you Fishlegs?”  
This seemed to startle the boy as he squeaked before answering, “Uh y-yeah, sort of…Hiccup-” Hiccup blink as he waited and Fishlegs gulped, “I-I was wondering if, well, we could be friends? Since you are with the twins and, well, it might be nice to have someone else besides them…”  
Hiccup laughed as he smiled stupidly, “You want to be friends, with me?”  
Fishlegs drew in the ground with his foot, “Yes, if you don’t want to I get it, I’ve ignored you with the rest of-”  
He was cut off by Hiccup, “No, Fishlegs…I would love to officially be your friend. But if you mind me asking, why?”  
“Well, the twins made friends because you have a common thread so I thought, you like books and I like books and no else really does so, well-”  
Hiccup laughed, both at how this day was going and at Fishlegs uneasiness. “Fishlegs, I’ve always considered you my friend.”  
“Really? Even though I ignored you?”  
Hiccup shrugged, “I’m a hiccup, even my own father forgets I’m here half the time. I don’t blame you for that.”  
Fishlegs grinned and ran over to Hiccup, squeezing him in a hug, “Thank you, thank you!”  
Hiccup grinned, “I should be thanking you.”  
“Oh, oh, I have this new book about a land called India and it’s really interesting. You want to go through it together?”  
Hiccup grinned and nodded, “I’d love too! After I finish up here.”  
“Great! I’ll go get it!” Fishlegs ran off to get the book and Hiccup stood there, dumbfounded, for a moment.  
Shaking his head he looked up before returning to the mangled sword. “Loki, why didn’t I do this sooner?” He laughed as he began pounding out the dings again, “Thank you so much Loki.”  
 


	2. HTTYD Part 1

Almost two years had passed since Hiccup had become a Loki follower. Two years of being halfway accepted in the tribe, or at least among his peers—Astrid and Snotlout still weren’t particularly fond of him—but oddly enough, him, the twins, and Fishlegs had become quite a close group in those years. And Hiccup cherished every moment of it.  
At the moment, however, the village was under a raid from the dragons. Hiccup turned to see Gobber replace his tongued hand for a battle axe. Turning he looked Hiccup dead in the eye, “Stay, put. There. You know what I mean, knows not the time to be serving Loki.”  
He ran out with a yell and Hiccup watched him for a moment, “When would be a better time than now?”  
Grinning, he turned and grabbed his latest invention, the Mangler, and ran out of the forge. He ran past several Viking and the fire crew and up onto the plateau where he opened it up and watched the star speckled sky. “Come on Loki. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at.”  
A shriek filled the sky right before a blue/purple explosion erupted from where a catapult had been. Swinging the Mangler around to just in front of the catapult he pulled the trigger and sent a bola flying. The second seemed to stand still as the air remained painfully quiet until a pain filled shriek filled the air.  
Hiccup stood up from where he had fallen from the recoil of the Mangler as he watched the stars be blotted out from a falling shape. He watched it fall near Ravens Point in near disbelief before shouting, “I hit it. Yes I hit it! Thank you Loki! Did anyone see that?!”  
A crunch and a growled came from behind him and he turned with a frown as his shoulders dropped, “Except for you.”  
The Monstrous Nightmare reared up and launched a volley of flames at Hiccup, who barely managed to dodge them with a shout of alarm. He took off running for the village again, only for it to follow.

The fire crew had just doused another fire when a shout reached their ears. The twins stopped their bickering for the moment as they looked up to the ridge and Tuffnut asked, “Hey, isn’t that Hiccup?”  
“Oh Thor, oh Thor, oh Thor!” Fishlegs mumbled in fear.  
Ruffnut nodded, “Is it just me or does it look like that Monstrous Nightmare is laying with him?”  
They watched him run from the snapping dragon before Tuffnut answered, “Yes dear sister it does, Loki must be in a bad mood.”  
“Or he’s in a good mood because Hiccup’s still running strong?”  
“Very true sister.”  
“Shouldn’t we help him?” Fishlegs asked.  
Snotlout rolled his eyes while crossing his arms, “Let him deal with it on his own, show him what a real Viking faces.”

 

Hiccup looked down as his father glared at him, “Sorry, dad. But I hit a Night Fury!” Stoic grabbed him by the shoulder. “Dad, I’m serious! You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot after it hit the catapult. It went down, just off of Ravens Point. We should get a search party out there before-”  
“Stop!” Stoic yelled in anger, “Just, stop. This is the worst time to be Loki-ing people son.”  
“But I’m not-I don’t do that like the twins!” Hiccup argued.  
Tuffnut grinned and whispered to Ruffnut who nodded, “Well, most of the time.”  
“Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter is almost here and I have an entire village to feed.”  
Hiccup glanced at a few Vikings, “Well between you and me the village could do with a little less feeding, don’t you think?”  
Stoic glared at him, “This isn’t a joke Hiccup! Why can’t you follow the simplest orders?!”  
“I-I can’t help myself! You guys doing things in the hardest way possible! I’m just trying to help! And I’m not the one who lost half the food! The dragons took it—I was on the plateau when most of that happened!”  
Stoic rubbed his forehead, “Hiccup, we do thinks the Viking way, not Loki’s way.” He turned to Gobber, “Take him to the house, I have his mess to clean up.”  
Hiccup groaned as he turned to walk home as Snotlout laughed, “Thank you, that helped.”  
“Well I was trying.”  
Gobber pushed him aside as they walked home, the twins and Fishlegs following. They walked in relive silence until they reached the house. Gobber turned to leave before looking at Hiccup, “Please don’t do anything Loki related today, yer father’s stressed enough.”  
“That was plainly obvious.” Hiccup sighed as he walked in.  
Once inside he ran to the back door. Tuffnut looked confused before asking, “Uh, what are we doing?”  
Hiccup turned to him determined, “I shot down that Night Fury, I saw it go down myself.”  
Fishlegs squeaked in fear, “You’re actually going to go looking for it?”  
“Well, yeah.” Hiccup nodded, “I might finally be accepted if I have proof that I killed a Night Fury of all dragons.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “I’m in, this’ll be great.”  
“To see the face of Lighting and Death Itself, oh it’d be glorious to see the beast of mass destruction…almost as much as Hiccup.”  
Hiccup glared, “Thank you Tuff.”  
“You are welcome my fine friend, and really, it was a compliment.”  
Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “Yes I know, because of Loki’s mischief.”  
They had been walking most of the afternoon, searching every inch of Raven’s Point. Fishlegs groaned as he sat on a log, “Hiccup, I don’t think its here, are you sure you saw it go down off of Ravens Point?”  
Hiccup groaned in annoyance, “Yes Fishlegs, I’m sure.” He looked at his notebook and crossed off another spot before getting angry and scribbling all over the page. “Ah! Why do the gods hate me? Some people loos a knife or a mug. No, not me—I manage to lose an entire dragon!”  
“Uh Hiccup-” Fishlegs started but Hiccup had already hit a branch in anger before yelping in pain as it came right back and smacked him in the face.  
“OW!” He held the right half of his face as he looked at the broken tree.  
Tuffnut whistled, “Look at that groove! Something HUGE must have fallen here. Quick sister, think, what could it be?”  
Hiccup gaped in amazement as he slide down the groove. Fishlegs followed nervously, “Uh, I think it might be Hiccup’s dragon.”  
They met up at the bottom just before the incline and Hiccup looked over first only to quickly duck back down in fear. Ruffnut met up with him and looked over and stood there in shock, “By Loki he did it! Hiccup you did it!”  
“Sh!” Fishlegs said, quickly throwing a hand on her mouth, “We don’t know if it’s dead or not, it could still hear us!”  
Tuffnut gaped, “That’s it? That little thing is the ‘Unholy offspring of Lightning and Death Itself’?”  
Both Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at him incredulously, “You call that ‘little’?” Fishlegs asked in a horse whisper.  
“Well it’s smaller than most of the other dragons that raid Berk.”  
Hiccup felt around his belt for his dagger and held it in a death grip before leaping over the edge and sliding down and hiding behind the bolder below.  
Fishlegs choked, “Hiccup!”  
Tuffnut felt around his belt and pouted, “Dang it, left my dagger in my other tunic.”  
Ruffnut hit him, “This is Hiccup’s kill idiot.”  
Tuffnut looked at her, a slight amount of fear dancing in his eyes, “Well I’d feel better having it.”  
Fishlegs whined as he watched Hiccup approach the still dragon.  
Hiccup walked closer and lowered his dagger in disbelief, “Oh wow, I did it. Oh I did it! This-this fixes everything!” He turned to look at the trio still behind the small incline, upper torsos sticking out.  
Fishlegs was pale, looking ready to pass out, while the twins flashed him two thumbs each and a smile. Ruffnut turned to Fishlegs, “Relax-”  
“The dragon hasn’t moved a muscle since we saw it.” Tuffnut finished.  
Hiccup turned to look back at the dragon, “Yes! I have brought down this mighty beast!” He placed his foot on the dragon and it suddenly moved with a weak groan. Startled, Hiccup took several, quick steps backwards.  
Fishlegs laughed nervously, “O-okay, I think w-we’ve seen enough. It’s defiantly a-alive. We should get Stoic, or someone else like that.”  
Hiccup steeled himself and took a few shaky steps forward, “N-no way! This is mine, dad would probably otherwise.”  
He looked at the dragon entangled in the bola, and saw it looking back at him. He took a few deep breaths as he raised the knife. “I’m gonna kill you dragon. I’m gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I’m a Viking—I’m a Viking!”  
“Yeah you are!” Tuffnut yelled encouragingly.  
Hiccup blushed and looked down back at the dragon as he tightened his hold on the knife. Closing his eyes tight he raised the knife for the final blow, but something prompted him to open one again and look the dragon in the eye. The dragon seemed to sigh and laid its head down, closing its eyes and resigned to its fate. Hiccup growled as he ground his teeth before hanging his head and resting his hands on top.  
He couldn’t do this, it didn’t feel right. He frowned and looked at his knife and said quietly, “I did this.”  
He took a step back and looked at the trio. Fishlegs was hiding behind his hands, one eye peeking through two figures, and the twins were watching in fixed amazement—enraptured by the Night Fury.  
Hanging his head, Hiccup turned to leave, only to turn and look at the dragon again. He sighed before he went back and knelt to cut the rope. Tuffnut turned to Ruff and whispered, “Now that’s some major Loki-ing if saw it.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “Yeah, he’s Loki-ing the entire village.”  
Tuffnut beamed, “The destruction.”  
Fishlegs gasped and nearly fell down, calling out in a horse whisper “Hiccup! What are you doing?!”  
The last rope fell and the dragon pounced on Hiccup, pinning him to the rock behind. The trio yelped in fear of the sudden movement and Tuffnut looked around wildly, “Oh Loki, something sharp, something sharp.”  
“Hang on Hiccup!” Ruffnut yelled as she looked for something, anything, to help him.  
Fishlegs could only watch in terror as the dragon reared back and—roared at Hiccup? Hiccup stood up shakily and they all watched the dragon fly away—very unsteadily—and disappear from view. Hiccup grabbed his knife and turned to them.  
Surprisingly, Fishlegs was the first one to react as he scrambled over the incline and ran to Hiccup—who waved and passed out just as he reached him. The twins hurried over a moment later, still looking in the direction that the dragon had gone.  
“Oh my Loki.” Tuffnut breathed, “That was AWESOME!”  
Fishlegs glared, “He nearly died!”  
Ruffnut shook her head, “On the contrary Fishlegs, that dragon never even tried to blast our dear Hiccup with its fire.”  
Fishlegs groaned, “Whatever…just don’t tell the chief about this.”  
Both the twins paled and Ruffnut said, “Are you kidding me? We’re not that stupid.”  
“Yeah,” Tuffnut agreed, “Besides, the best time to Loki is one they aren’t expecting it—or they have no idea what it possibly could be.”  
“Ho yeah, ‘cause really—who’d expect a Night Fury to come back from the dead?” Ruffnut asked.  
“Well,” Tuffnut thought, “It does come from Hel, so it isn’t completely out of the question.”  
Ruffnut shrugged in arrogance, “True dear brother.”  
Groaning in annoyance, Fishlegs picked Hiccup up, “Guys, let’s just forget about it for now and get him back home.”  
“Yes!” Tuffnut cried, “We should get him out of the could before his thin little body get sick-”  
“Again.” Ruffnut added.  
Rolling his eyes, Fishlegs led them back through the forest.

Hiccup woke up with a groan and sat up in the bed, “Uhn.”  
Fishlegs was up in an instant, “You’re awake!”  
“What happened?”  
Tuffnut popped into his face, “Well, after you released the Night Fury-”  
“Which was totally awesome!” Ruffnut put in.  
“It roared in your face and left. Then you passed out.”  
“Which wasn’t as awesome.” Ruffnut finished.  
Hiccup’s eyes widened, “Oh gods, dad’s going to kill me! You guys didn’t tell him did you?”  
“What? No!” Fishlegs cried, “We wouldn’t do that to you, Hiccup.”  
The twins nodded before Ruffnut added, “Yeah, he’d probably go after us too anyway.”  
Hiccup sighed in relief, “Thanks you guys.”  
They heard a door open and heavy footsteps. Fishlegs turned to Hiccup, “Sounds like your dad’s home, we should go.”  
“Ok, see you tomorrow.”  
They nodded and left.  
Stoic watched them leave before turning to Hiccup who was trying to sneak back up to his room. “Hiccup.”  
“Dad! Uh…”  
“I need to speak with you son.”  
“Oh, ok.”  
“I think its time you learn to fight dragons.”  
“What?” Hiccup asked, now in horror though trying to hide it.  
“You get your wish, dragon training, you start in the morning.”  
“Oh-man,” Not good, “Uh, I-I was thinking, do we have enough bread making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings?”  
“You’ll need this.” Stoic said, handing Hiccup an ax.  
“Dad, I don’t want to fight dragons.”  
“Yes you do. Serving Loki or no, this is something we all strive for.”  
“Rephrase, dad, I can kill dragons.”  
“But you will kill dragons.” Stoic persisted.  
Hiccup struggled to hold the lopsided weapon in his arms, “No, I’m very-extra sure that I won’t.”  
“It’s time Hiccup.”  
“Can you not hear me?”  
Stoic continued on, harder now, “This, is serious son. You need to put Loki aside for one moment so you can see that.”  
“I know what you’re saying! But I can kill a dragon, you’re not listening! Loki has nothing to do with this.”  
“I don’t care right now. When you carry this ax, you carry all of us with you.” He handed the ax back to Hiccup, “Which means you walk like us, you talk like us. Deal?”  
“This conversation is feeling very one-sided.”  
“Deal?”  
Hiccup sighed, “Deal.”  
“Good. Train hard, I’ll be back, probably.”  
Hiccup watched his father leave, “And I’ll be here…maybe.”

Fishlegs hurried over to Hiccup after dragon training, “Hiccup, slow, down.”  
Hiccup turned and smiled apologetically, “Sorry ‘Legs.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“I think I’m going to back to the forest.”  
“What for!?” Fishlegs asked, he had had nightmares the entire night about the incident.  
Hiccup shrugged, “I’m curious.”

Fishlegs sat ing the Great Hall eating and listening to Gobber until Hiccup quietly came in. Scooting over Hiccup smiled and took a seat. Fishlegs leaned in close and asked, “So, you’re alive. Must not have found anything?”  
Hiccup shook his head, “I’ll tell you later.”  
Several hours later they met back up, Hiccup was reading the book of dragons. More like skimming it. Fishlegs noted, “So?”  
Hiccup smiled, “I found it.”  
“What, the book?”  
“No, the dragon!”  
“That’s what I was afraid of.”  
“I’m looking for anything the Book of Dragons might have on it.”  
Fishlegs took a seat, “I can almost guarantee it won’t be much.”  
Hiccup flipped through the book and rattled off, “Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous. Kill on sight, kill on sight…its all saying the same thing.”  
A clap of thunder exploded from behind the doors and Fishlegs jumped, “Oh, not a good night to be reading this book.”  
Hiccup grinned, “Ah! Night Fury. Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The unholy offspring of Lightning and Death Itself. Never engage this dragon, your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you.”  
Hiccup looked thoughtful before pulling out a drawing of the dragon. Fishlegs leaned over, “Hey, that’s pretty good. Hope you didn’t have to get too close.”  
Hiccup shook his head, “Nah. It’s strange, I found it in a cove in Ravens Point. It was trying to get out but it kept failing, it would get halfway there before falling.”  
“Hm…” Fishlegs hummed, “Why is the tail fin smudged?”  
“It doesn’t have one there.” Hiccup explained.  
Fishlegs nodded, “Maybe its hurt? If it only has one tail fin there it doesn’t look very symmetrical. If you think of other dragons with dueling tail fins…”  
“But we don’t know anything about Night Furies, what of this is normal?”  
Fishlegs just looked at Hiccup, “Then I’m pretty sure that it would have left by now.”  
Hiccup nodded, “True, I’ll see about it tomorrow.”  
“Wait-what?!”  
“I’m said, I’m going to see if it’s supposed to have two tail fins tomorrow.”  
“You’re going back!”  
Hiccup grinned, “Of course I am.” He looked down, “I’m the reason its hurt after all.”  
“You want to help it!?” Fishlegs choked.  
Hiccup looked down for a moment, not saying anything, “If I can, then—yes, I am.”  
“Hiccup! That’d be treason!”  
Hiccup said quietly, “Haven’t I already committed treason by letting it go? I might as well continue with it now—god of mischief, right?”  
“Oh Thor help us.” Fishlegs mumbled.  
Hiccup placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Thank you Fishlegs.”

Fishlegs and the twins talked amongst one another after dragon training, which Hiccup had quickly left from. Ruffnut said quietly, “Hiccup better be careful of what he asks Gobber.”  
“Yeah, or else he’ll give it all away—wait, what will he give away again?”  
“The Night Fury.” Fishlegs hissed.  
“Oh yes! That.” Tuffnut cried.  
Ruffnut looked around, “Where is he anyway, I wanted to ask for his help in a new prank.”  
Fishlegs rolled his eyes, “I think he went to find the Night Fury.”  
The twins whirled around, Tuffnut asking, “You mean it’s still here?!”  
Fishlegs hushed them quickly, “Yes, yes, or at least that’s what Hiccup said. He also said it looked like it was hurt.”  
Tuffnut pouted, “Oh, bummer. Not as useful then.”  
Ruffnut hit him under the helmet, “No dummy, what Fishlegs means is that Hiccup is probably trying to help it.”  
Tuffnut’s eyes glimmered, “Wow, the tricks that boy thinks of!”  
“Keep it down will ya?!” Ruffnut said harshly, “We don’t want the whole village knowing!”  
“Sorry.”  
Fishlegs groaned and kept walking, “Hiccup said it was somewhere in Ravens Point, probably not far from where it landed.”  
“Let’s go!” Tuffnut said, charging for the forest, only for Ruffnut and Fishlegs to hold him back.  
“Not like that!” Fishlegs said, fighting to keep calm, “We have to make it look casual.”  
“Oh, right.” Tuffnut smiled while flashing a thumbs up.  
“Loki help us.” Ruffnut sighed as she grabbed him and walked away.  
Fishlegs watched them disappear between houses before walking away and meandering into the forest. He found the twins waiting on a bolder not far in, Ruffnut saw him and waved him over, “There you are! Let’s go.”  
It took them a couple hours before they found the crash site again and they began looking around for where the dragon and Hiccup could have gone. Ruffnut suddenly called out, “Hey guys! I think Hiccup went this way!”  
They walked over to her and saw a few broken branches leading away. Fishlegs nodded, “Looks good.”  
They followed the ‘trail’ for a few minutes until they came to a drop off which lead into a, cove? “Hey, didn’t you say that the dragon was in a cove?” Tuffnut asked.  
Fishlegs nodded and looked down and gasped, there was Hiccup with the dragon. “What’s he doing?” Ruffnut asked.  
“Oh, Hiccup!” Fishlegs squeaked, barely above a whisper.  
Hiccup had stuck his arm out towards the dragon and turned his head away. Then, astonishingly, the dragon pressed his muzzle into Hiccup’s outstretched hand.  
There was a pause, a silence which no one dared break—until Tuffnut exclaimed, “By Loki what has he done!”  
All heads, human and dragon turned towards him. Tuffnut muttered, “Nice job mutton head.”  
Tuffnut pointed to the dragon in obvious disbelief, “He-he trained the dragon.” Looking down, he waved at Hiccup, “Can you teach me!?”  
The dragon growled and flapped away to the other end of the cove and Hiccup pouted a bit, “What are you guys doing here?”  
Fishlegs stood up and looked around, “We were looking for you. When you said you wanted to help the dragon…I didn’t think it would be like, this.”  
Hiccup looked at the dragon who had laid down to sleep but kept a wary eye on the group at the top of the cove, “I didn’t think so either…I’ll be up in a minute.”  
He disappeared in the cove wall only to reappear between some rocks a moment later. Fishlegs ran over, “Hiccup! What happened? How did you do that?”  
“I just gave Toothless a reason to trust me.”  
“Toothless? Who’s toothless?” Tuffnut asked.  
“The dragon, I named him Toothless.” Hiccup explained.  
Ruffnut looked at him blankly, “Hiccup, have we taught you nothing? You don’t name something like, the unholy offspring of Lightning and Death Itself—Toothless.”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, it needs a terrifying name, something gruesome or-”  
“But he’s not like that.” Hiccup objected as they walked back to the village. “He’s actually really gentle, and kinda funny.”  
“But Toothless, really?” Tuffnut asked.  
Hiccup shrugged before Fishlegs asked, “Uh, H-Hiccup, could you…uh, introduce me, to—him?”  
Hiccup beamed, “Of course Fishlegs! I’d love to!”


	3. HTTYD Part 2

Training had finished for the morning and Fishlegs and the twins were following Hiccup through the woods into the cove. Tuffnut asked after a long period of silence, “Ok, what’s the smelly bag of fish and that bundle for?”  
“The fish are for Toothless.”  
“And the bundle?” Ruffnut asked.  
Hiccup grinned, “You’ll see.”  
Fishlegs frowned nervously, “That’s why you left early last night, wasn’t it. To make, whatever that is.” Hiccup nodded with a grin, “Oh Thor I don’t think I’m going to like this.”  
Coming into the cove Hiccup looked around and yelled, “Oh Toothless!!” The black dragon bounded out to meet Hiccup but stopped and glared at the trio behind him, teeth bared.  
Hiccup quickly stepped between them, “No! No, their friends.” He gestured for them to come over.  
The twins responded immediately, giddy at being so close to the dragon while Fishlegs took a moment longer to come closer. “Oh wow, Hiccup, look at him!”  
Hiccup grinned as Toothless sniffed around them a few times before turning and looking expectantly at Hiccup. “Oh!” Hiccup blushed and slid the sack off his shoulder, “Brought you breakfast. Some cod, nice Icelandic salmon, and a whole smoked eel.”  
Toothless immediately roared and reared back, snarling. Fishlegs cried out and stumbled a step away and the twins watched with fascination, “Those wings are HUGE!” Tuffnut cried.  
Hiccup reached in and grabbed the eel, Toothless snarling at it more, and threw it far away, “No, no, I don’t like eel either.”  
“Huh,” Fishlegs looked at the eel then at Toothless, “I wonder what that was about?”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “Strong opinions?”  
Hiccup continued to mutter calming words or of encouragement as he slowly walked behind Toothless. Fishlegs watched as Hiccup tried to get close to the tail and each time Toothless would move it away, “Uh, Hiccup? I think it wants you to leave the tail alone.”  
Hiccup groaned, “Toothless is a he Fishlegs, not an it. And I know what I’m doing Fishlegs. It’s ok!”  
Ruffnut looked back at Hiccup, “He’s almost done with the fish…does he still need the fish?”  
Hiccup grunted as he turned and sat on the tail to keep it still as he wrapped the bundle around it. Fishlegs suddenly paled as he realized what Hiccup was probably doing while Tuffnut laughed as Toothless stuck his head into the basket.  
The basket fell reveling a look of astonishment and disbelief on the dragon. “Who knew a dragon could pull that face off?” Tuffnut asked while Ruffnut agreed.  
Hiccup was still fiddling with the devise on the tail as Fishlegs watched Toothless move his other tailfin around experimentally before his wings dropped again in disbelief. “Oh Thor, oh Thor, Hiccup! Get off the dragon!”  
“Wha-?” Before Hiccup could finish Toothless had leapt off the ground. Hiccup yelled as Toothless began to fly and hung onto the tail for dear life, “No, no, no, no—AAHHH!”  
The twins watched with mouths open, “No, way.” Tuffnut breathed.  
“He’s riding a dragon!” Ruffnut finished.  
Fishlegs peered through his figures, “He’s going to die!”  
Toothless then began to fall rapidly, “Whoa!” Hiccup yelled as he ripped open the tailfin and they began to gain air again. They soared out of the cove and towards the ocean.  
“That’s amazing!” The twins exclaimed and Fishlegs looked ready to be sick.  
Hiccup and Toothless then turned sharply around and came back to the cove, still flying above it though. They were over the water before Hiccup yelled, excitedly, “Yes! Yes I did it!”  
Fishlegs watched as the dragon’s eyes widened in suddenly realization that the Viking runt was still there and flicked his tail around, sending Hiccup crashing into the water and Toothless following not a moment later as the fin closed. Hiccup resurfaced and shouted triumphantly, “YEAH!”  
He swam to the edge and the trio ran over to meet him and Toothless came out next to him. “Hiccup that was awesome!” Tuffnut yelled.  
Ruffnut grinned, “You could have died! Are going to do it again?”  
Fishlegs glared at the two of them as he helped Hiccup stand, “Seriously?!”  
Hiccup grinned, “Its ok ‘Legs…It actually worked!”  
Toothless shook himself and sent water cascading onto the teens, though Hiccup was already soaked. Fishlegs looked towards the sky, “We should be heading back for the afternoon’s training.”  
Hiccup sighed, disappointed, but nodded, “Yeah, probably.”  
He placed his hand on Toothless’ head. “I’ll be back later bud.”  
“Bud?” Tuffnut asked, “You never call any of us ‘bud’. Why does he get special treatment?”  
Hiccup shrugged before walking over and grabbing the basket—now empty—and grabbing the eel. “I take it you don’t want this?”  
Toothless hissed at the eel and Hiccup nodded, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Fishlegs found Hiccup in the forge later after training. “What are you making?”  
“A saddle. Riding Toothless like that is not something I want to do long term.”  
“‘Long term’? You’re planning on continually doing that?!”  
Hiccup looked down, pained, “Fishlegs, when we flew today—when Toothless initially took off, his prosthetic didn’t open. It was stuck closed.”  
Fishlegs shrugged, not really seeing the problem, “So just build it so it’s stuck open.”  
“I can’t do that, I would be stopping him from moving past one position.”  
“But can’t you walk even if your foot is stuck in one position?” Fishlegs asked.  
Hiccup sighed, “His tail isn’t really like a foot, it’s more like a hand. And if I did that, it would forever be stuck open. You can’t really do much with a wide open hand except wave…or glide in Toothless’ part.”  
“Oh.” Fishlegs sighed, understanding now.  
Hiccup looked back to the saddle and kept working, “The fact is, until I can figure out a way to allow his prosthetic to change almost like a normal one can…I’m going to have to change it for him.”  
Fishlegs nodded, “You might want to be careful in dragon training, Astrid was giving you a death glare earlier.”  
Hiccup rubbed the back of his head and smiled grimly, “I know. And I will be.”

Hiccup returned to the cove the next day, the twins following him. Hiccup held up the saddle with a grin and Toothless smiled right back…before taking off in a playful trot. Hiccup ran after him, “Hey! Come back, seriously!?”  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut watched him run back and forth, chasing Toothless, “Think we should help him?” Tuffnut asked.  
“Na.” Ruffnut answered, shaking her head, “This is fun to watch.”  
“Indeed.” Tuffnut agreed.  
A little while later Toothless decided to finally stand still so Hiccup could put the saddle on, “There. Is that alright?”  
Tuffnut inspected it, “I say it looks fine.”  
“Though really weird on a dragon.” Ruffnut added.  
“I know right!” Tuffnut smiled, “Saddling a dragon!”  
Hiccup grumbled, “I wasn’t asking you two. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t hurting Toothless.”  
“Oh.” Ruffnut said.  
Tuffnut nodded, “That, makes more sense.”  
Quickly climbing into the saddle, Hiccup held a rope connected to the tailfin. Toothless shot off and as the gained more air they needed to changed tail position, Hiccup pulled on the rope and they both instantly fell.

Ruffnut sat with Hiccup as he worked more, making a harness, “Now what’cha making?”  
“A harness, it’s rather painful when I fall off of Toothless. This should help with it.”  
Ruffnut pouted, “Hm, it was rather funny to watch you fall like that.”  
“Glad it was appreciated by somebody.” Hiccup said sarcastically.

Fishlegs sat on a rock while Hiccup scratched Toothless, “So how did you really make the Gronkle just fall to the ground like that?”  
Hiccup walked over to his vest he had set on the ground when he donned his harness. He reached a hand inside and looked back at Toothless cautiously, “Stay bud.”  
He handed a fistful of grass to Fishlegs. “Grass?”  
“I call it dragon nip. Found it when we crashed on test flight. Had one heck of a time trying to get Toothless out of it.” Hiccup smiled as Fishlegs inspected the grass closer.  
Toothless leaned into Hiccup’s hand and he moved underneath his head to his chin as he fell, limp and in a purring mass.  
“Whoa,” Fishlegs stared at Hiccup.

Hiccup jotted down the tail position before he and Toothless landed. Another gust of wind came up and Toothless began to hover again—with a little help from the rope holding him in place—before the gust blew harder and snapped the rope. Hiccup was pulled as Toothless stood. “Arh!” He pulled the rope attaching him to Toothless and sighed, “Oh great.”  
Toothless looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, “I’m alright bud…though we’re going to have to go to the village to get some tools so I can unattached myself.”  
The sun had fallen by the time they reached the village. Hiccup saw the light of a torch coming and hid Toothless beside a building, thanking the gods that he blended in perfectly. The sentry saw Hiccup leaning in the building and nodded, “Hiccup.”  
Hiccup nodded and gave a small wave as he passed, waiting until the torch light disappeared behind another building before pulling Toothless out and quickly making their way to the forge.  
Toothless found a bucket and stuck his snout in it, checking for fish, but found none and tossed it away. “Toothless, sh! There’s no fish here.”  
He grabbed a thick bar and wedged it into the loop and pushed down, but to no avail. He jumped when Astrid called his name, “Hiccup? Are you in there?”  
Thinking quickly, he grabbed an apron and put it over the harness before he jumped through the service window and closed it behind him. “Astrid! Hey. Hi Astrid, hi Astrid.”  
“I normally don’t care what people do, but you’re acting weird.”  
It was at that moment Toothless decided to move and jerked Hiccup backwards. He struck a pose to compensate and pulled on the cord attaching them to try and get himself some slack.  
“Well, weirder…” She sighed, “Never mind, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”  
“It, isn’t?” Hiccup asked, slightly more scared now.  
She growled before replying, “I can’t believe I’m asking this but I need, I need your help.”  
Hiccup blinked, “O-oh? With what?”  
“Snotlout…I need your help to Loki him so he’ll leave me alone in Dragon Training…I think that’s why you’re—doing so well is because he’s distracting me so much with his insistent desire to go on a, date with me. That, and he’s really starting to get on my nerves and punching him isn’t working.”  
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence Astrid. Hiccup thought, “Uh yeah.” Toothless pulled him again. “Give me tonight to think of something.”  
“Fine.” Astrid turned to leave before turning back around and glared at Hiccup, “And don’t you dare tell the twins or anyone else about this or Thor help me…”  
Toothless lost all patience and pulled Hiccup back through the window and ran out the side, Hiccup clicking the gears into place so they could discreetly and swiftly, leave the village. He could see the dark form of Astrid looking into the forge, no doubt wondering what just happened.  
Hiccup met Astrid early the next morning, Dragon Training having been pushed back to the evening due to the raid party getting back. Astrid had her hands on her hips with a slight frown, “So, come up with anything?”  
“A few things.” Hiccup admitted, Loki he’d been wanting to do something like this from almost the beginning but was too scared too. But now that Astrid was asking, he pushed aside that fear. “For someone like Snotlout we need to start small and build up.”  
“Ok, what do you suggest?”  
“For starters, take his axe…or you distract him and I’ll take it.”  
She blinked, “Where are you going to put it?”  
Hiccup’s mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile, “I know a place.”  
“Ok, and after that?”  
“Then we take it up a step. What is one thing a Viking is never without?”  
Astrid thought for a second then, “His helmet.”  
“Exactly. Now getting the helmet off of his head will be your job, I’d no doubt be killed if I tried.”  
Astrid nodded, “Yeah, you probably would.”  
Hiccup continued, “And while you’re doing that, I’ll grab his spare.”  
“He has a spare?”  
Hiccup nodded, “Yeah, for once he was actually smart and has a spare.”  
Astrid nodded, surprised. “And after that?”  
“After that come the finale…Now this is your choice, don’t forget that.”  
“Ok Hiccup, what are you planning?” Astrid asked, highly suspicious.  
“Ok, so, we need to make it clear that you are not interested in him.”  
“I would have thought the punches he received daily would have been sign enough.” Astrid huffed.  
Hiccup shrugged, “So would I, but I’m not Snotlout and I don’t know how he thinks. Anyway. I think the best way to do that would be—to get a boyfriend. Nothing permanent!” Hiccup added quickly as her face dropped in disbelief at what she heard. “But like an act, at least for a little while.”  
She stood there silent, contemplating it before asking, “And do you propose to play my…boyfriend?”  
Hiccup scratched the back of his head as he thought, “Well I think Fishlegs would be good, I’m sure he’d go alone with it once we told him what was happening. You could do Tuffnut, as this is Loki-ing he’d probably love it…but Tuffnut as your boyfriend just doesn’t seem, well, right. Fishlegs would probably be the best choice.”  
Astrid thought about it, “You never mentioned yourself.”  
“Me?” Hiccup asked, pointing to himself, “Uh, yeah, well. The great Shield Maiden ‘dating’ the fishbone, runt of disappointment. Yeah, I think that’s even more unbelievable than you and Tuffnut together.”  
“Then it’s you.” She said blatantly.  
“Did not hear what I just said?! Who is going to believe that?”  
“Well I said I wanted this kept quiet, no one else knowing.”  
“It’s just one person!” Hiccup fought back. Wait, why am I fighting this? I’ve liked Astrid since I can remember and now I don’t want to be her ‘boyfriend’? “Fishlegs can keep it a secret.”  
“Well he won’t have to.” Astrid said calmly, “You should probably head over to his house and get the axe now while he’s down at the docks welcoming home his dad.”  
She waved as she also headed down to the docks.  
Hiccup watched her leave, mind still in a tizzy. What. Just. Happened?! I’m playing the part of Astrid’s ‘boyfriend’! Oh my Loki, thank you! He quickly ran off in the direction of Snotlout’s house.  
He arrived there shortly and snuck inside, no one was there—all down at the docks. Hiccup grinned, however quickly covered it up. Loki only knew how long he’d wanted to do something like this to Snotlout, now he had a very good reason too. Entering his cousin’s room, he found the axe hanging on the wall. Walking over he grabbed it quickly before moving to the trunk. He lifted the lid and dug to the bottom, where the spare helmet laid.  
Hiccup gathered the two items in his arms and quickly left the house. He stopped by his house to grab a sack of fish for Toothless and left for the cove, fish, helmet, axe and all.

Hiccup met up with Fishlegs and the twins right before Dragon Training that evening. Hiccup couldn’t stop grinning, his first actual flight with Toothless having taken place not an hour ago. Fishlegs noticed Hiccup and asked, “What happened?”  
“I did it Fishlegs, I actually flew Toothless!” Hiccup answered in a horse whisper.  
Fishlegs looked around, the twins were talking with Snotlout who looked miserable and Astrid stood off in the distance a bit—with a smug look. Something’s going on, Fishlegs thought, maybe Hiccup knows. “Haven’t you already flown him, several times?”  
“And crashed almost every time. But this time we went out across the ocean, in and around sea stacks and never crash-landed!”  
“I’m not sure whether to feel excited or terrified for you.” Fishlegs answered.  
Hiccup shrugged, “A bit of both probably.”  
“Probably.” Fishlegs nodded, “Do you know what’s going on with Snotlout and Astrid? She seems way too happy, I mean, she’s never that happy.”  
Again Hiccup shrugged, fighting to keep a straight face—but succeeding. “Not a clue ‘Legs.”  
“Alright!” Gobber shouted, “Let’s get today’s lesson on! It’s yer last one before the Elder choses who’ll kill the Monstrous Nightmare!”  
Hiccup paled as they walked into the arena. Finally Snotlout couldn’t hold it in any longer, “Alright! Who was the yak brain that stole my axe! That was my favorite one!”  
Cricket could be heard before Tuffnut grinned, “Someone stole your axe? Oh my Thor that’s AWESOME!”  
“‘Awesome’?” Snotlout asked anger, “That’s not ‘awesome’, that’s stupid! Idiotic! I’m gonna wring the neck of whoever did it! That’s my favorite AXE!”  
“That’s why it’s awesome.” Ruffnut grinned madly, “Whoever did it must have gut iron to threaten your wrath.”  
Astrid smiled ever so slightly at Hiccup when no one was looking and barely nodded so only he could see. Step one, done.  
Snotlout shook, “They better never show themselves or else-!”  
“Enough whinnin’!” Gobber yelled as he released the Nadder.  
The training session progressed like most, the twins out first, then Fishlegs, then Snotlout—however this time it wasn’t because he was distracted with Astrid, he was too angry right now—and left was Hiccup and Astrid. The Nadder ran towards Hiccup, no doubt wanting to be scratched again like Hiccup had done before, but instead he ran until Astrid dealt with it.


	4. HTTYD Part 3

They had no training the next day, Gobber being too busy with the returned raid and Stoic to teach. Hiccup walked out of his house shortly after sunup. Hoping to spend a little time with Toothless, when a blond headed, Shield Maiden filled his eye sight—however, anything but unpleasant. “Astrid! What are you doing here?”  
She handed him Snotlout’s helmet, “You said to get this.”  
He blinked at it. She actually got it. What do I mean she actually got it? Of course she did, she’s Astrid. “Right!” He took the helmet but she still stood there, “Am I forgetting something?”  
“Shouldn’t we be having breakfast together, Hic?”  
“Hic-?” It dawned on him, “Oh! Yeah, of course M’lady. I’ll meet you there after I hide the helmet.”  
Astrid nodded and walked off, Hiccup blushing a deep red as he quickly walked into the woods and to the cove. Toothless met him at the entrance with an excited lick, “Hey bud!” Hiccup gave his head a hug.  
Walking over to the little alcove he placed the helmet with the other helmet and axe. Toothless looked at Hiccup excitedly, tongue hanging out and hopped around. Hiccup laughed, “Not this morning bud, I have to get back to the village.” Toothless looked down, unhappy. “Sorry, I’d like to stay here too…at least have something nice going on today.” He mumbled, thinking of Astrid.  
He arrived at the Great Hall and grabbed a plate of food before finding Astrid and sitting next to her. Gods this feels weird. She smiled warmly at him and he almost couldn’t tell that it was an act.  
Fishlegs looked at the usual table he sat at with Hiccup but didn’t see him. Is he with Toothless? Looking around just to check…he found him sitting next to Astrid and she—smiled at him? Curious now, he walked over, “Hey Hiccup?”  
“Fishlegs! Hi.”  
Fishlegs sat across from Hiccup and Astrid nodded politely. “What are you doing over here?”  
“Sitting with Astrid.” Hiccup said nonchalantly.  
“Uhm…?” Fishlegs tried.  
Astrid opened her mouth to say something when a commotion at the doors caught their attention. Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut entered. And Snotlout was steaming. Tuffnut grinned, “Dude, what has you so stoked?”  
Snotlout pointed to his head, “What do you think?! I’m a warrior without his helmet! Whoever this guy is that’s stealing my stuff had better start running to Valhalla before I catch him! He even took my spare! How did he know I even had a spare?!”  
Tuffnut blinked, “Wait, you have a spare helmet?”  
“I did!” Snotlout barked.  
“That’s ingenious!” He turned to Ruffnut, “Why don’t we have spare helmets?”  
She shrugged before asking, “Who do you know he’s not a she?”  
He glared at her, “You didn’t do it did you?”  
Ruffnut scoffed, “No, but I’d like to meet the person who did!”  
Tuffnut grinned, “You don’t think, could it be that Loki himself is doing this?”  
Ruffnut nodded in thought, “It could be, I mean, this is very well planned out. Just like the great Trickster to do it.”  
“Oh please, give me a-” He stopped as he looked over where Astrid sat…along with Hiccup and Fishlegs. He glared for a half second before walking over and smiling at Astrid, “Hey babe, this fishbone isn’t bothering you is he? If he is I can easily move him.”  
Hiccup glared at him while Astrid snapped back, “If he was I could move myself easily enough. And no, he’s not bothering me.”  
She smiled and Snotlout’s brow crossed, confused.  
Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder, careful to keep it only on her shoulder—no need to risk her wrath later. “Haven’t you heard Snotlout? Astrid’s with me now.”  
Ruffnut gaped and Snotlout snarled, “What? How are you with him, him out of all people—especially when you have me!?”  
Astrid made a thinking motion, “Let me think. He’s smart,” Not annoying, “And doing much better than you at Dragon Training.”  
“No he’s not! He’s just running away!”  
Astrid shook her head, “That’s not what I recall. He’s taken down the Terrible Terror, Zippleback, Gronkle, even the Deadly Nadder. All a one point or another. I’m the only other one who’s done that.”  
Snotlout grew red as a tomato, if they knew what those were, “If that’s all it then I can easily do that.”  
Tuffnut laughed and pointed, “Oh my! It really is Loki! He’s even pulled Astrid and Hiccup into it! Ahha! Oh this is great, if only I had a way to somehow keep this moment forever!”  
Snotlout rolled his eyes and glared at Hiccup, “I don’t believe you. There’s no way Astrid would ever be with you!”  
Astrid snapped, really mad now. Why couldn’t she be with Hiccup is she chose. Sure this was just an act but in all reality she wanted Snotlout even less than she did Hiccup. Though as of this moment she would rather just stay a Valkyrie and not be with anyone. Fuming, she quickly turned, grabbed Hiccup and pulled him into a kiss.  
They all sat or stood there, dumbfounded. Especially Hiccup. After a moment they broke apart, Snotlout standing there like a fish out of water and beet red. After a moment he turned and stormed away.  
Astrid and Hiccup left the hall shortly after. They walked through the village together, however neither saying much, before Astrid suddenly punched Hiccup in the shoulder, “What was that for!?” Hiccup cried.  
“For making me kiss you!”  
Hiccup blinked, “But I didn’t-”  
“It still came to that!” Astrid snapped, “I better go train for tomorrow.”  
She left without another word or second look.  
Hiccup walked through the woods to the cove in a sort of daze, Astrid kiss him. Astrid kissed him! Even if it had just been in show it had to have been the second happiest moment in his life. The first was his first actual flight with Toothless.  
Hiccup arrived at the cove and sat for a little while with Toothless until a few pebbles tumbled out of the opening. Hiccup looked up, alert and ready, when Ruffnut appeared, but no Fishlegs or Tuffnut in sight. “Hey Ruff. Uh, where’s Tuff?”  
“With Snotlout at the moment.”  
“Oh.” Hiccup nodded.  
Ruffnut glared heated, “Ok, what was with you and Astrid this morning?”  
“W-what do you mean?”  
“I know you’re not actually dating Astrid. So what is it?”  
Hiccup held a flat look, “How do you know I’m not dating her?”  
“Because she’s not dating anyone.” Ruffnut answered. They both stared at each other for a moment in silence before she caught sight of the alcove behind Hiccup, “Is that Snotlout’s axe and helmets?”  
Hiccup paled slightly before he sighed, “Ok, don’t tell anyone—and I mean anyone, not even Tuffnut—about this…or else Astrid would probably kill me.”  
Ruffnut’s eyes light up, “You two are Loki-ing Snotlout, aren’t you!”  
Hiccup nodded, “It was Astrid’s idea, she’s tired of him. So I came up with a few things to try and help…”  
Ruffnut grinned, “And that’s why she kissed you!”  
Hiccup smiled, “Well that was a bit unexpected.”  
Ruffnut punched Hiccup in the arm, “You are brilliant!”  
“What is it with women and violence?” Hiccup asked, rubbing his arm. Ruffnut shrugged, “So why did you care so much about me and Astrid?”  
“No reason.” Ruffnut said quickly. “I better get back to Tuffnut before he realizes I’m gone.” She ran towards the entrance and turned to Hiccup, a sly smile gracing her, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. It’s fun to watch Snotlout writher like this.”  
~O~  
“Leaving!” Hiccup yelled into the cove. He wanted to leave before Fishlegs or the twins got wind of what he was planning and tried to talk him out of it. “We’re leaving. Let’s pack up, looks like you and me are taking a little vacation…forever.” He set the basket down and opened the lid to check it, “Oh man…”  
He started to stand when he heard the sound of rock on metal. He jumped back, seeing Astrid, “Ah! What the-?!” Composing himself and taking a quick check of the cove he said, “Uh-hu, w-what are you doing here?”  
“I wanna know what’s going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you.” Hiccup continued to walk backwards and Astrid kept following, “Start talking.”  
“Uh-I-I…uh…”  
“Are you training with someone?”  
“Uh, training?”  
“It better not involve this!” She grabbed the harness. “You know, I really hope this is some kind of prank.”  
“I know this looks really bad but-”  
She threw him to the ground and stepped over him as a tree bending or breaking could be heard from not far away. “You’re right! You’re right! I’m-I’m through with the lies. This is just a really big prank I’m playing. So, you got me. It’s time everyone knew, drag me back, here we go.”  
She twisted his hand and he ended up on the ground, again. “OW! Why would you do that?”  
She pushed him down harshly with her foot, “That’s for the lies.” Then dropped her axe butt on his stomach, “And that’s, for everything else.”  
“You do realize I serve a god know for lying?” Hiccup wheezed. Toothless suddenly growled and Hiccup paled, “Oh man.”  
Astrid saw him and her eyes went wide, “Get down!”  
She pushed him to the floor before getting up and brandishing her axe. “Run, run!”  
Hiccup jumped and grabbed her axe, ripping it away and throwing as far as he could, “No! It’s ok! It’s ok. She’s a friend.”  
Toothless calmed down enough to fold his wings back slightly and stand on all fours. Hiccup kept himself between them. Toothless pressed forward and Hiccup held his head, trying to keep some distance between him and Astrid. “It’s ok, you just scared him.”  
“I scared him?” She stopped, wide eyed, “Who is him?”  
Hiccup smiled nervously, “Uh, Astrid—Toothless. Toothless—Astrid.”  
Toothless just growled at her and she just shook her head, running away towards the exit.  
“Du-da-duh, we’re dead.” Toothless turned, pleased now that she was gone. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you’re going? We’ve got to stop her.”  
~O~  
Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut came running into the cove, just in time to see Toothless shoot into the sky with a screaming Astrid—although they could barely heard that. Tuffnut gaped, “She gets a ride but I never did? How unfair is that?!”  
Ruffnut didn’t say anything but scowled at the receding form of said blonde.  
They came back a while later, Astrid talking quickly—not noticing the others. “No, no, it makes sense. It’s like a giant beehive. They’re the workers and that’s their queen!”  
Fishlegs blinked…Astrid wasn’t trying to kill Toothless. Apparently Tuffnut was having the same thoughts, “Uh, what happened?”  
“We have to tell Stoic!”  
Astrid turned to leave but Hiccup caught her hand, “No! Astrid, they’ll kill Toothless.”  
“You want to keep this a secret, so you can protect your pet dragon?!”  
Hiccup stood firmly, not about to move, “Yes.”  
Astrid sighed, defeated. “Fine, them what do we do?”  
“Just give me until tomorrow.”  
Astrid looked at the trio behind them. “What are they doing here?”  
Ruffnut smiled, “Hey Astrid.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “We helped Hiccup searched for Toothless after he shot him down.”  
Fishlegs said nervously, “We’ve known for a while.”  
Hiccup laughed slightly, “Look, all the teens know except Snotlout.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “Should we give him back his axe and helmet yet?”  
“What? That was you!?” Fishlegs yelled, looking at Hiccup.  
Hiccup shrugged, looking at Astrid, and grinned, “Yeah…”  
~O~  
Hiccup was thrown into the Great Hall, the village having just found out about Toothless—who protected Hiccup from the Nightmare. Stoic glared at his son, feeling betrayed. “I should have known, I should have seen the signs.”  
“Dad?”  
“We had a deal!”  
“I know but-but that was before I—o’ it’s all so messed up.” Hiccup ran his figures through his hair.  
“What was that in the ring? A trick? This has to be the worst Loki-ing Berk has ever seen.”  
“Alright I might have taken this a little far but you can’t blame me for doing so!”  
“And why not!?” Stoic thundered.  
“Because I’m just doing what I’m supposed to, serving Loki.”  
“This isn’t about him right now!”  
“Yes it is!” Hiccup shot back, face hard yet scared, “I’m supposed to Loki people and what better way than to make peace with the dragons!”  
“There can be no peace between us and them!”  
“Why not?! Toothless hasn’t hurt me or anyone else! If anything he’s protected us, and me especially! I would have been killed in the ring today if it wasn’t for him!”  
“You named the dragon!? And what do you mean us?”  
“Yes, I named him. Dad, if you could just see what he’s actually like you see that he’s actually really gentle and friendly.”  
“You’re talking about it like he’s something to be loved! They’ve killed hundreds of us! And one nearly killed you in the ring just now because of these-these tricks!”  
“The Nightmare was fine until you slammed your hammer down on the railing and startled it, of course he snapped! But dad, we’ve also killed thousands of them, they defend themselves—that’s all!”  
Stoic started walking in a frustrated line, taking two steps before turning and repeating, “Hiccup this is treason to your own kind.”  
“I’m trying to help! You said it yourself—they’ve killed hundreds of us.”  
“So you finally started listening have you?!”  
Hiccup glared, “But that’s only because the war! They defend themselves, if they don’t bring food back then they’ll get eaten themselves. Dad, you’ve got to try and understand.”  
Stoic looked at Hiccup, a new light in his eyes. “How do you know that? Have you been to the nest?!”  
“Yes! Alright, I have and believe me when I say that the dragon they have to feed is a demon straight from Helheim!”  
“How did you find it!?”  
“I didn’t, Toothless did.”  
Stoic straightened and looked harshly at his son, “Get back to the house, we’ll continue this when I get back.”  
“Oh, no—no! Dad! No, it’s not what you think it is. You don’t know what you’re up against!”  
“I may not but it’s my duty to rid my people of this menace or die trying.”  
Hiccup paled, “Dad please! For once in your life would you please just listen to me?!”  
“I am son.” He paused for a moment, his glare harsh, “You should be thanking Loki, because of your betrayal we know where the nest is.”  
Hiccup fought back the pain at those words, “Dad—I promise you, you can’t win this one!”  
Stoic growled before he turned to walk out, “Get back to the house before I have you thrown in the prison.” He walked out and yelled, “Ready the ships!”  
Hiccup walked out, and found people already readying the ships. The twins and Fishlegs found him watching from the catwalks. His heart broke at seeing Toothless harshly chained and imprisoned, “Toothless!” He cried softly, Fishlegs restraining him from running down.  
They watched them sail until they were out of sight. Astrid joined them a little while later, “It’s a mess, you must feel horrible.”  
Fishlegs glared at her as Hiccup answered. “Thank you, as if I didn’t know that already.”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, that was obvious.”  
“Even to us.” Ruffnut finished.  
Hiccup sighed, “Why does Loki have to do this? I finally begin to have an enjoyable life then I go off and do something stupid.”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “Hey, it’s all a part of the fun. And you still have us!”  
“Yeah!” Ruffnut threw an arm around him and Astrid glared at her, which she returned, “Once a Loki-follower, always a Loki-follower.”  
Hiccup shook his head, “It’s more than just that guys. My dad has Toothless and is sailing to his death! And I don’t know what to do! Oh Loki this is so messed up!” He finished, hands gripping head as he sighed and looked down.  
“So what are you going to do about it?” Astrid asked.  
Hiccup bounced his head from one side to another as he thought for a moment, “Loki that dragon hard before the village gets killed. Come on, I’ll need all of you.”  
He ran back towards the village, the others following.  
He entered the arena and released the dragons contained within. He heard the others enter and turned to meet them. Snotlout came up to him, “Tuffnut said you were going to Loki a dragon and needed my help.”  
Hiccup looked at Tuffnut and he shrugged, “We’ll you said ‘I need all of you’, so a little more muscle couldn’t hurt.”  
Hiccup nodded, “Alright then.” He led out the Monstrous Nightmare towards Snotlout, who looked beyond nervous. Hiccup reached for his hand but he yanked it back, “It’s ok, trust me.” Snotlout was apprehensive but a moment later placed his hand on the snout of the Nightmare and it purred quietly.  
Hiccup grinned and walked away, “Hold on. Where are you going! This had better not be a Loki because if I lose a hand to this-!”  
Hiccup pulled some rope out of the weapons box, “You’ll need something to hold on with.” He smiled. He then began showing the others to their dragons.  
~O~  
Hiccup woke up, head foggy. A black snout greeted his view, “Hey Toothless.”  
Toothless started nudging and liking him excitedly, “I’m happy to see you too bud.”  
He moved and Toothless accidentally stepped on his stomach, he sat up instantly with a small cry and looked around, scared. “Uh, I’m in my house…you’re in my house. Does my dad know you’re here?” Toothless jumped around excitedly, nocking several items over and came back to lick Hiccup again, “Ok! Ok. No—no! Toothless!” Toothless had climbed up into the rafters, “Oh come on…”  
He stopped suddenly, something feeling very off. He looked down and removed the blanket, his breath hitching as his mind reeled to comprehend what had happened. Toothless dropped down and walked slowly over to Hiccup, nuzzling him gently.  
He drew in a determined breath and swung his legs off the bed and slowly stood with a painful grunt. Toothless sniffed the new prosthetic before looking up to Hiccup, understandingly. He went to take a step, and took another but fell—unused to the missing foot—Toothless catching him. “Thanks bud.”  
He helped him across the room to the door. He opened it only for a Monstrous Nightmare to fill the door. Hiccup slammed the door shut again and turned to Toothless, “Stay here bud.”  
“Come on guys, get ready!” Snotlout yelled. “Here we go!”  
Hiccup watched them for a moment before walking out. Dragons were, everywhere. “I knew it, I’m dead!”  
He heard a familiar laugh, his father, “No, but you gave it yer best shot. So what do you think?”  
Hiccup blinked, “Are you serving Loki now too…or did the twins get you to do this?”  
Stoic smiled, “No to both.”  
“Look, it’s Hiccup!” Someone yelled and several Vikings surrounded them.  
Stoic turned to Hiccup, “Turns out all we needed was Loki’s chosen.”  
Hiccup swallowed thickly before Gobber butted in and pointed to Hiccup’s left leg, “Well, except that bit, that’s my handiwork. With a little Hiccup-flare—think it’ll do?”  
Hiccup looked at it, “I might make a few tweaks.”  
The gathered Vikings laughed before the teens came up. Ruffnut grinned, “He lives!”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Dang it! I was betting on two weeks.”  
“Ha-ha, now you get to do my chores for a week.” Ruffnut grinned.  
“Hiccup!” Fishlegs cried, giving him a hug.  
Gobber handed him a newly made prosthetic and saddle for Toothless. “Welcome home.”  
Toothless jumped over and several Vikings cried out in habit, “Night Fury!” “Get down!”  
Hiccup laughed and put on the saddle and prosthetic. “Ready?” Toothless leapt into the air and Hiccup grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

Writer’s Log Supplemental—5 “Twinsanity”  
~O~  
They say two heads are better than one, which is often true. But four heads? That’s a bit too many.  
Ruffnut turned to Hiccup, “How are we supposed to see up here?”  
Hiccup flew near them. “You’re not, that’s the whole point.”  
“Oh.” Tuffnut nodded, “I still don’t get it.”  
“When you two can’t see you have to trust Barf and Belch to see for you.” Hiccup explained, “Like this.”  
Tuffnut watched him disappear, “Why does he always have to speak in riddles?!”  
Ruffnut shrugged, “A curse of Loki no doubt.”  
“But why do we have to suffer with it! I mean, Loki-ing the others is fine, but always speaking in riddles has got to be the worst!”  
Ruffnut nodded, I say we trust us.”  
“Yeah, I’m with you, sister. Belch down!”  
“Barf up!” Ruffnut shouted at the same moment.  
Both heads complied and ended up snapping back together then spiraled out of control. They fell until they crashed into Fishlegs and Meatlug then continued to fall apart from their dragons. All three landed in a tree. Ruffnut looked up slightly as she hear the tree branch crack. “Barf, go for help!”  
“Belch, get me down!” Tuffnut yelled at the same moment.  
Said poor dragon tried to do as told again and again, spiraled out of control.  
Fishlegs whistled and gestured for Meatlug to do something. Hiccup watched Fishlegs with interest.  
Meatlug flew down and grabbed the twins just before their branch snapped. Hiccup and Fishlegs grinned, but Hiccup noticed Fishlegs’ branch cracking also. Flying down they caught Fishlegs. Hiccup turned slightly, “What were those hand motion thing you were doing?”  
If you must know, I have been practicing some rudimentary hand signals with Meatlug just in case we got separated. And they seemed to have been well received.”  
“Hand signals? That’s incredible, Fishlegs!”  
Fishlegs beamed, “Yeah, I know!”  
Hiccup leaned forward slightly in excitement, “We need to start working on those right away.”  
They landed a short while later and Hiccup went to the forge. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came in a minute later. Tuffnut grinned mischievously, “Is it done Hiccup?”  
Hiccup had the same grin with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes, “Almost.”  
Ruffnut balled her hands into fists in excitement, “This is going to be great, he’ll never know what hit him!”  
“Until he regains his senses.” Hiccup amended. He stopped then handed something to Tuffnut, “Here ya go. Just be careful with it, the calibrations are sensitive. Just do me a favor and set it up outside so we don’t have to repair the house.”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Good thinking my friend.”  
They turned to leave but Hiccup called out, “Ruffnut!” They turned back to him and he handed her a small sack, “Put this in his cooking pot.”  
She looked at it curiously, “What is it? I don’t remember asking for anything like this? Did you?”  
Tuffnut shook his head, “Nooo?”  
Hiccup grinned, it was a look that could have sent shivers up Alvin’s spine and made Loki proud. “You didn’t. This is my trick on him for the whole ‘dragons being banished for no good reason because it was his fault’ incident.”  
“Oh!” The twins cried at the same incident then began to laugh evilly as they slunk away.  
Hiccup left the forge and headed out to practice with Toothless, needed to start on those hand signals after all.  
~O~  
Mildew walked up the steep hill back to his house, after having spent the whole day in the village trading his cabbages and such, he was crankier than usual. His sheep, Fungus, ‘baa’d’ and he nodded, “I agree Fungus, this is too much for an old man. Making me go all the way down to the village to trade just to come all the way back up here late at night. Just isn’t right. If they want their cabbages they should be coming to me.”  
He continued to grumble under his breath as he walked towards his hut but frowned when he stepped on a loose stepping stone, “I don’t remember putting that there…”  
His eyes widened and a large mass came hurtling towards him and ducked instantly, falling to the ground. He glared at the mass that laid on his field. “Dragon dung? Who the—Hiccup. Oh Stoic’s going to hear about this-”  
He was cut short as several more piles where flung out of the bushes and from behind boulders and landed on the field. Mildew growled, highly displeased.  
He continued to grumble to himself as he entered the hut.  
~O~  
“Toothless, battle ready.” Hiccup commanded, making a fist with his hand and pulling it close to his body.  
Toothless did as told and grouched low with a growl.  
“Toothless, plasma blast.” Hiccup pointed at the shield and threw it up, Toothless blowing it to kingdom come a second later.  
“Good job bud. Smile.” Hiccup made a curve across his mouth.  
Toothless gave him a ‘are you kidding?’ look but complied none the less.  
“Not bad.” Astrid said but turned to Stormfly. “Stormfly, spine shot!” She made her hand motion and sharp spines sunk into the ground, one nicking her boot. “Well, that’s better than last time.”  
Snotlout laughed, “Hookfang, annihilate!”  
Hookfang breathed a fair amount of fire at Snotlout which sent him careening into a wooden wall.  
“Bullseye.” Tuffnut grinned.  
Hiccup watched blankly and said just as flatly, “Well, in Hookfang’s defense—he didn’t say where, or who.”  
Snotlout groaned then snapped, “Not funny Hiccup.”  
“I’m not laughing.”  
“You are on the inside, don’t deny it! I know this was some Loki-trick! Why is Hookfang taking your side?”  
Hiccup shook his head but turned to Fishlegs.  
“Meatlug, hug!”  
Meatlug flew over and ‘hugged’, more like barreled into and laid on, Fishlegs then began licking him indecently.  
Hiccup nodded, “Hm, that could actually be useful.”  
Hiccup smiled, “Ruff, Tuff, your turn.”  
“Belch, come.”  
“Barf, go.” They said at the same time, resulting in an immobile dragon. They growled at each other.  
“Belch, sit.”  
“Barf, sky!”  
Again both heads did as told and flipped around before falling again.  
Hiccup winced sympathetically for the dragon as the twins started arguing.  
Tuffnut shouted triumphantly, “Ha! I win.”  
Ruffnut glared, “What do you think you’re doing to my dragon?”  
“Your dragon? Puh-lease. You’ve been breathing in Barf’s gas again.”  
“Yeah, so?”  
“Guys!” Hiccup called, trying to give them a mediator. “Guys, Barf and Belch is one dragon. You have to use one signal at a time.”  
Ruffnut smiled, “Good idea. Barf, attack Tuffnut!” Barf head-butted him and threw him next to Snotlout. “How was that?”  
“I don’t think that’s what Hiccup-” Fishlegs was cut short by Tuffnut.  
“Belch, eat Ruffnut.”  
“Ah! Uh…ow?”  
Hiccup glared flatly, “Tuff, come on.”  
“Pff, whatever. Belch, drop Ruffnut.”  
Ruffnut shook a bit, “I cannot work like this.”  
“No,” Tuffnut said walking over to his dragon, “It’s completely unprofessional.”  
Ruffnut glared. “I’m taking my dragon and going home.”  
“You touch that dragon and I’ll-”  
“You’ll what?” Ruffnut asked.  
“I…I don’t know, don’t rush me.”  
Hiccup hung his head, exasperated.  
“I’ll tell you tomorrow.” He said finally.  
They both ran over to Barf and Belch and pulled on their heads, trying to lead them away.  
“Guys, come on, stop it please. Leave the dragon out of it, it’s over.” Hiccup tried to reason.  
“It’s over.” Ruffnut growled.  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, it’s so over, it’s under.”  
They walked away from each other, headed in different directions.  
Hiccup sighed, “Loki why?”  
Astrid walked over, “What was that about?”  
Hiccup shrugged, “Eh, they’ll be back.”  
~O~  
Hiccup walked to his house after he had feed Barf and Belch, Loki knows the twins would probably forget in their state right now. As he neared his house he heard a fair amount of commotion. “It’s sucked Gobber! It doesn’t suck any more than this!”  
Hiccup looked on, halfway interested. “Ahh…the ceremonial belt. Is it that time again?”  
“Yup, tomorrow’s the annual treaty signing with the Bezerker tribe.”  
Gobber frowned humorously, “They’ve got to change that name. When your chief is ‘Oswald the Agreeable’ and you haven’t been to war in fifty years-“  
Hiccup paled, “Oh Loki, please tell he isn’t bringing that lunatic kid of his?”  
“Dagur? Oh, he’ll be here.” You could hear the utmost enthusiasm in Gobber’s voice.  
“Oh great! And let me guess, I get to keep him from breaking things?”  
“Actually, I have a more important job for you, two actually. You get to hide al the dragons.”  
“From Oswald the Agreeable?” Hiccup asked. “Why?”  
“Hiccup, just because we’ve had peace for fifty years doesn’t mean they still can’t go…well…”  
“Bezerk?” Gobber offered.  
“Exactly.” Stoic nodded. “The dragons could be seen as a sign of aggression.”  
“Can we just say that I Lokied the whole village and made them make peace with dragons?” Hiccup asked.  
“Eh, no.” Stoic said. Dang it, Hiccup thought.  
“And the last thing we want is another Bezerker skirmish.” Gobber added. “They tend to play for keeps.”  
Stoic leaned down, “Just hide the dragons son.”  
Hiccup sighed and started out. “Oh, Hiccup, there’s one more thing.”  
“Oh?” Hiccup asked.  
“Yes.” Stoic looked hardened, “Under no circumstances are you allowed to Loki with Dagur, I don’t need to repair the entire village.”  
Hiccup’s face fell into a look of disgust. “Why would I do that with him? The twins are one thing, he’s another entirely.”  
“Yes, and speaking of Loki-ing people.”  
“Oh Loki.” Hiccup murmured.  
“I the complaint of the day from Mildew, about dragon dung flying onto his fields from unknown places…”  
Hiccup looked down, trying to hide his smile, “Yeah…that was me.”  
“Hiccup.”  
“I was just trying to help! I mean, the dragon dung works really well for fertilizer.”  
Stoic fought to keep a scowl, “You did something else didn’t you?”  
Hiccup turned and ran out of the house, “You have no proof!”  
Gobber watched him run out and snickered, “I wonder if Gothi has something to do with that?”  
“Oh?” Stoic asked. “It wouldn’t happen to do with miserable he looked the other day?”  
“It might. But the old hag isn’t saying a word—er, writing a word. She just had this weird look of pleasure on her face when she saw him the other day.”  
Stoic looked up, exasperated. Only Hiccup could get Gothi in on something like that.  
~O~  
Hiccup and Toothless shepherded a few stray Terrors back into the group. Snotlout beamed, “Is Dagur coming? He is so cool!”  
“Cool?” Hiccup asked. “Last time he was here he used me as a knife throwing target. And then all but forced me to help him Loki people.” Hiccup shivered at the memory.  
Astrid scowled, “That guy should be locked up in a cage.”  
“That’s what he tried to do to me!” Fishlegs cried, “Thank Thor Hiccup was there…although I do feel bad for Silent Sven.”  
“Yeah, let’s not talk about that.” Hiccup said quickly, trying to change the subject.  
Astrid yelled, “Look out! Rough Zippleback!”  
“Where’s Ruffnut and Tuffnut?” Hiccup asked, looking around. “Someone get that dragon!”  
“I’m on it!” Snotlout yelled.  
“Snotlout, you need two riders. Fishlegs, get in there.”  
“Hu-ha. I’m not sure that this is really the best-whoa!”  
Barf bumped Meatlug so Fishlegs fell onto him, however the way he landed made him start to spew gas. “I don’t feel so good.”  
Hiccup frowned, “It’s the gas, just try not to breathe any in.”  
Fishlegs looked green and held his mouth, “Yeah? That ship has sailed.”  
“Hey!” Snotlout yelled, “Somebody tell me how to work this thing!”  
Hiccup watched him reach for Belch’s head and called down, “Whatever you do Snotlout don’t spark-”  
However in trying to gain some solid ground, Snotlout accidentally sparked the gas. They flew up and back where Hookfang caught them.  
Fishlegs swayed, “Ok, now I feel worse.” He turned to look at Hiccup, “I don’t care if that was an intentional Loki or not, but don’t ever make me do that again.”  
Hiccup watched as the Zippleback flew away. Astrid flew up beside him questioningly, “Wait here, I need to get that Zippleback under control before the Bezerkers-”  
A horn sounded and Astrid finished, “Are here.”  
“Great, just great.” Hiccup deadpanned. “Alright, everyone, hide your dragons where we talked about. I gotta tell my dad.”  
He landed just inside the forest and hopped off of Toothless before running through the village, finding his father at the docks. “Uh, hey dad? There’s something-”  
“Not now son, Oswald is here.” Stoic said, cutting him off.  
They watched the boat dock and a Bezerker announced, “Presenting, the high chief of the Bezerkers, cracker of skulls, slayer of beasts, the great, and fearsome-”  
“Oswald the Agreeable?” Gobber asked.  
The Bezerker amended, grinning, “Dagur, the Deranged.” He stepped aside to reveal Dagur.  
“Dagur?” Stoic asked.  
“Deranged?” Gobber finished.  
Hiccup’s shoulder fell, “Oh no.” He ducked and dodged the dagger, “Oh perfect.”  
“Dagur, where is your father?” Stoic asked, as calmly as possible.  
“My father has been, retired. He lost his taste for blood, I on the other hand—am starving.” He finished in a sing-song voice. He laughed, “So, where are you hiding them, Stoic?”  
“Hiding what Dagur?”  
“Do I look stupid to you?” He asked.  
Gobber leaned over and whispered, although Hiccup could hear, “Trick question, don’t answer it.”  
Stoic rolled his eyes as Dagur continued, “We both know what’s going on here, I have it on excellent authority that you’re massing an army of dragons.”  
Stoic scowled, “Excellent authority? And who would that be Dagur?”  
“Never mind.” He said quickly, “Just know that if I find it to be true, then my armada will attack with the force of fifty-thousand brave Bezerker soldiers.”  
Hiccup paled but saw it.  
Stoic tried to reason, “Stand down Dagur. There won’t be any need for the armada. Now let’s get to the treaty.”  
“Yes! Let’s. According to the treaty, it starts with a tour of Berk, the armory, the feast in the Great Hall, the killing arena.” His eyes lit up horribly at that.  
Hiccup ran to find Barf and Belch, and to get away from Dagur. He ran through the town muttering, “Oh this is bad. This is bad, this is really bad. I have to find that Zippleback.”  
Astrid grabbed him and drug him into an alley, “Hiccup, we have a problem.”  
“Oh yeah? You’re telling me. Dagur’s the new Bezerker chief.”  
“What?!”  
“Yeah, his father, retired. And he thinks we’re hiding dragons!”  
“Well, we kind of are. Which brings us to our next problem.” She pointed down at the footprints.  
“What? Barf, Belch, here?” He heard a growl and looked up and saw them eating some fish. “Oh Loki.” He and Astrid ran towards them, “If Dagur asks about the footprints just say it was me and the twins trying to freak out the village, kay?”  
“But Hiccup-” Astrid hissed.  
“Just do it!” He said as they grabbed the basket of fish and moved it along with Barf and Belch who followed the food.  
Barf and Belch lost interest in the moving fish a moment later and ran out into the plaza, “Barf, Belch get back here!” Hiccup yelled in a strained whisper.  
They lost him around a corner. “Where did it go?” Astrid asked.  
Hiccup shrugged, frustrated. “I have no idea. You keep looking—make sure to check the high and low spots—and I’ll go warn my dad.”  
He began to run to the armory when Barf and Belch ran past. He and Astrid began their chase again. He lost sight of it for the moment, “Barf, Belch? Oh come on this is not the time to Loki me right now.” He hissed.  
The Zippleback lowered their heads and looked at Hiccup. He looked at them wide eyed as the clung to the armory, “Guys, you can be here! Oh would they do? Think like Ruffnut and Tuffnut…I can’t believe I just said that. Barf, Belch, sky!”  
It did nothing. “Great, can’t they do anything without the twins arguing?”  
He heard Dagur coming out and clenched his eyes shut, knowing he was going to see them. “Ah, Hiccup. There you are.”  
He peaked out of one eye and say that Barf and Belch were nowhere to be seen. Sighing gratefully on the inside he put on a forced smile, “Dagur! I was just thinking about you.” He saw a slight amount of movement on the roof as Barf and Belch moved away so continued to talk to try and distract Dagur. “Hey, you remember that time we went swimming and you tried to drown me?”  
Dagur laughed as if he truly enjoyed it while Hiccup let out a few forced chuckles. “Oh the laughs we had. Bored again!” He pushed by Hiccup and walked a few steps before he stopped, “Just a moment. Something is going on here.”  
Hiccup’s face fell, “I can explain.”  
“Where is it?”  
“Look, it’s just one dra-”  
“Your leg?” Dagur cut off and Hiccup instantly shut up. “Never mind. I heard all about it.”  
“You, heard all about what?”  
“You, the Red Death. You defeated it all on your own.” He grinned manically, “That must have been some Loki-ing!”  
“Whaaa…me? Look at me, how is that even possible, even with Loki’s tricks?”  
“Right? That’s what I thought too!” Hiccup breathed. “But then, I heard about the trained dragons. And it got me, well, tingly.”  
“Trained dragons? I-I don’t, how would you even train a dragon?”  
“I don’t know,” He got into Hiccup’s face, “How would you?”  
Stoic came over and looked anything but pleased. “Alright then, who’s hungry?” Hiccup asked.  
“It’s this way Dagur.” Stoic said, leading them away.  
Hiccup ran behind the armory and saw Toothless pulling on their tail. “Oh Loki, what would you. The twins aren’t going to talk to each other any time soon, so think, think.”  
The Zippleback began to move away and he ran—quickly walked—in front of them, “Hey guys, let’s just calm down for a sec…” He placed a hand on each head.  
They leaned into it and he smiled, but they began to move away, again. “No!” He snapped, tired of everything by now. He grabbed a horn on each head, “Stop it!”  
One head jerked free and Hiccup scowled, stuffing his hands into the pockets. Something soft was in there. Pulling out the handful he found the freshly picked Dragon Nip he had grabbed, “Yes! This will work.” He hurried in front of the head again and held out the dragon nip. Their eyes instantly widened and they purred, “That’s it.” Hiccup said soothingly, “Just follow me and the dragon nip.”  
He lead them to a cave a fair ways into the woods before placed the Dragon Nip on their snouts and got weak with pleasure, “Alright, this should keep you guys here for a while.” He scratched the sweet spot on both head and the collapsed into a blissful sleep. He began to walk out when Toothless bumped his side, “Yo gotta stay here bud and make sure they don’t leave. I don’t care if you have to sit on there or shoot a weak plasma blast to knock them out, but keep them here. Loki only knows what Dagur would do if he saw them…or especially you.”  
He hugged Toothless’ snout before leaving.  
He walked into the Great Hall and found his spot next to his father. He leaned over and asked, “Did you get that Zippleback under control?”  
“For the moment.” Hiccup whispered, “Though I’m not sure how long they’ll stay there.”  
Stoic nodded then looked up when Dagur spoke up, “A toast! To death in battle!”  
“To your father!” Gobber declared and all called suit. “To Oswald.”  
Dagur glared heatedly. “Fine, whatever. To Oswald, to Oswald, to Oswald. Bladidi-bladidi-blah!” He sunk a dagger into the cake in front of him.  
Gobber looked at him wide eyed and slightly fearful. “Well, on that cheery note…shall we sign the treaty and send you on your way?”  
“Great idea! Let’s sign that treaty. Bring us the dragon’s blood!”  
Stoic laughed nervously, “Don’t be ridiculous Dagur. Your father and I haven’t signed a treaty in dragon’s blood for years.”  
Dagur got in his face and growled. “Why would that be a problem Stoic? Unless of course, you don’t kill dragons anymore…?”  
Hiccup got up quickly, an idea in his head. “I’ll go get it! We saved some from the last raid knowing you’d be here soon.”  
With that he ran out of the Hall. Stoic and Gobber looking at his back like he had grown an extra head. Dagur grinned, “Good ol’ Hiccup.”  
Hiccup ran out of the Hall then took the back entrance into the kitchen. They had lamb for dinner that night so he knew there should have been something to hold the blood after the kill. He found it sitting in the back corner. Hidagard saw him, “Hiccup, I thought you’d be with your father and Dagur.”  
He smiled, “I’ll be heading back in a moment, mind if I take this?”  
“Not at all.”  
He grabbed a small jar and poured some in before running back out and into the Hall. “Got it! It was at the back of the storehouse.”  
Dagur grinned, “Well, now we can sign.”  
A minute later it was signed and Gobber took it quickly. “Well, now that’s done. We should see you out.”  
Dagur looked suspicious, “Do you want to get rid of me?”  
“No!” Stoic said quickly while Hiccup said ‘yes!’  
Stoic glared at Hiccup and Dagur turned to him, “And why would that be?”  
“We…have a bad sickness going around.” Hiccup fought hard with himself to make it believable. Even serving a god known for lying he still sucked at it.  
“You, do?”  
Hiccup nodded quickly, “Why do you think there hasn’t been many people out? We were trying to keep them inside so you wouldn’t catch it.”  
Actually, that wasn’t the reason. Most of the village knew that the Bezerkers, and more precisely—Dagur—were coming, so they decided to make nice fishing or hunting trip. Those that didn’t figure that out until afterwards hid inside, all those except the few that were needed to sign the treaty. After the last couple of times of Dagur being around and all but forcing Hiccup to help Loki people, they avoided him and Hiccup during that time like Oden’s Scourge. So in essence, they did have a sickness, the hide-from-Dagur disease. Or at least that’s what Hiccup kept telling himself.  
Dagur’s face fell, “Oh, well, in that case we’ll go.”  
He and his fleet left rapidly after that, and only once they were out of sight of the Berkian shores did any of them breathe. “Good thinking Hiccup.” Stoic said, clapping him on the back.  
Hiccup blushed, “Thanks, dad.”  
Gobber turned to Hiccup, curiosity all over his face, “What did you have them sign in? That certainly wasn’t dragon’s blood.”  
Hiccup looked down with a smile, “Tonight’s dinner.”  
“Sheep’s blood?” Gobber asked, Hiccup nodded, “Oh Hiccup, yer brilliant! Sheep’s blood, the Loki’s on you Dagur! Ha-ha.”


	6. Writer’s Log Supplemental—6 “Big Man on Berk”

The group had come back from Dragon’s Edge because a rogue had been terrorizing the Berk waters.  
“All right, gang, we’ll buzz past the Scauldron and draw its attention so Astrid, Ruff and Tuff can net it from behind and drag it out to sea, got it?”  
“I still think we should blast it!” Tuffnut pouted.  
Astrid explained, “Stoic just wants us to move the Scauldron out of Berk’s fishing lanes, so don’t get any crazy ideas.”  
“Uh, sorry.” Ruffnut said as she and her head flipped upside down. “Crazy is what we do, Astrid. Duh!”  
Hiccup smirked, “She does have a point Astrid.”  
Fishlegs flew up, closer to Hiccup, “You guys do realize that a Scualdron’s hot water blast can rip the scales right off a Screaming Death??”  
They turned as they heard it roar. Hiccup nodded, “Duly noted, so don’t get hit.”  
“That makes me feel so much better.” Fishlegs frowned.  
Hiccup turned, “There it is, let’s focus guys.”  
Astrid threw the twins part of a net which the they took without argument, for once.  
Hiccup lead them down, “One…two…Three!”  
Just as he gave the signal Fishlegs sneezed, “Ah-choo!”  
The Scauldron turned with a snort as Fishlegs careened out of control and hit Snotlout who fell off of Hookfang screaming before dropping into the net. “Help me!”  
Hiccup yelled, “Abort, abort!” Fishlegs then hit him, “Ah! Fishlegs!”  
He righted himself just as the Scauldron was about to eat Snotlout in the net. Toothless shot between them, catching its attention. “Plasma blast bud.”  
He complied and shot another direct hit on the side of its head. It roared before diving back under the water.  
Tuffnut frowned, “Oh, I see how it is. You’re allowed to blast it.”  
“Well you guys didn’t.” Hiccup shot back.  
When they landed back on Berk Snotlout was fuming, for good reason. “You and your snot-rockets almost got me killed!” He yelled at Fishlegs.  
Astrid rolled her eyes as she walked past, “Calm down Snotlout, you lived. Yay us.”  
“No thanks to itchy-legs over here.”  
Fishlegs panted like he was out of breath, “It’s so weird. I mean, I never…oh…ever…ah-choo!” He sneezed on Meatlug and Toothless scooted a bit farther away. “…Get sick.” He continued scratching.  
Hiccup looked away, not being able to bear the sigh, “Oh gosh.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Dig deeper, see if you can draw blood.”  
Hiccup frowned, “Well, something’s clearly not right with you. You should go see Gothi.”  
Fishlegs frowned at Hiccup, “I don’t see what the big deal is, ok? Everybody sneezes and scratches sometimes.”  
“Not like a honey-covered yak on an anthill.”  
Hiccup looked at Tuffnut and shook his head, “I don’t even want to know.”  
“I really don’t feel sick, ok? I promise, I’m fine.”  
He turned and began scratching himself against Meatlug and Hiccup turned away, disgusted, “Ugh. Well, maybe you’re just allergic to something.”  
Fishlegs smiled, “Uh, that’s impossible. Allergies don’t run in the Ingerman family. I’m clean, serene and-“  
“And an itchin’ machine!” Ruffnut finished.  
Hiccup shook his head at the twin’s antics but focused on Fishlegs, “Well, not all allergies are hereditary. Maybe you picked it up at the Edge or something? There’s been lots of new things there.”  
“Might I interject?” Tuffnut said then continued on before anyone could answer, “We at the Thorston house have a very simple allergen detection system. It has never failed.”  
“That’s a system?” Ruffnut asked.  
“It is now.” Tuffnut said quietly.  
“Uh, guys?” Hiccup said, “I’d like Fishlegs alive, thank you.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Fret not brother trickster, this won’t hurt Fishlegs in the slightest. Meet us in the academy.”  
Hiccup turned to Fishlegs, “If you don’t want to do any of this-”  
“It’s ok Hiccup, maybe your right. I might have picked something up at the Edge. And, you can’t deny that the Thorston’s have had their fair share of health problems.”  
Hiccup chuckled worriedly.  
Hiccup watched as Tuffnut handed Fishlegs a ‘thousand year old egg’, he highly doubted the validity of the egg’s age and wanted to gag when Fishlegs actually ate it. “Needs a little sea salt.”  
Tuffnut frowned, disappointed, “Ahh.”  
“What about this?” Ruffnut shoved something in his face, “Yak hair, takes itchy to a whole new level.”  
He felt some of the yak hair that stuck to his face, “Not really. Feels kind of like my old aunt Gerta. You know she used to-”  
Horrifying images already filled Hiccup’s mind, “No! I’d like to be able to sleep tonight.”  
Tuffnut handed him a cup as he kept itching, “Spoiled, coagulated goat milk with just a pinch of hoof jam. I find it changes the whole experience.”  
Hiccup’s stomach flipped and Fishlegs drank it, it took everything Hiccup had not to hurl right then and there. “Oh, that is…cheesy and delicious.”  
Astrid, Snotlout and Hiccup all cringed. Hiccup saying, “I’ve officially lost interest in dinner.”  
Snotlout nodded, “I’m right there with you Hiccup.”  
Fishlegs walked over to a rock and picked it up to feed to Meatlug, “I’m telling you, I’ve never been allergic to anything.” And sneezed on the poor thing, again.  
Hiccup looked between Meatlug and Fishlegs, “Hm.”  
“What? What is it?” He asked, worriedly.  
Hiccup answered as gently as he could, “Fishlegs? I think you might be allergic to…Meatlug.”  
Astrid’s brow knitted up, confused, “Why, all of a sudden, would he be allergic to Meatlug?”  
Tuffnut answered, “Perhaps it’s just a simple case of adult-onset allergies.”  
Ruffnut walked by and nodded, “Ah, I concur with your diagnosis, Dr. Nut.”  
“I concur with your concur-ation.”  
Hiccup just looked at them until Ruffnut explained, “Adult-onset allergies develop in you elder years when your immune system mistakenly identifies a dangerous substance.”  
Snotlout leaned over to Hiccup and Astrid, “What is she talking about.”  
“I have no idea.” Astrid answered.  
Hiccup shrugged, “Maybe one day in the future people will know.”  
Fishlegs scowled, “Don’t be silly. There’s no way I’m…” He snorted to keep in a sneeze, “…Allergic to Meat-“  
Ruffnut slammed his head into the dragon’s side and he began sneezing unstoppably. Ruffnut grinned, “Oh yeah, diagnosis confirmed.”  
“Ruff, let him up.” Hiccup said, walking over. “Fishlegs, there’s only one person that might actually be able to help.”  
“Let’s go.” Fishlegs mopped, headed for Gothi’s.  
*O*  
They flew up to Gothi’s hut where she began to inspect Fishlegs and looked at her runes. Snotlout chuckled, “Oh I gotta see this.”  
Gothi glared at him as scratched her staff in the sand on the ground. Fishlegs got nervous, “What’s she saying?”  
“Uh,” Gobber nodded.  
“What?”  
“She wants to paralyze you.” Gobber said nonchalantly.  
Fishlegs gasped as Snotlout cheered, “Yes!”  
Gothi hit Gobber on the head with her staff, hard, while Hiccup glared at Snotlout, “Really?”  
Snotlout shrugged as Gobber corrected, “Aah! Check that. Hypnotize. Sorry, she wants to hypnotize you.”  
Snotlout pouted, “Uhh, come on.”  
Gothi pointed her staff at Fishlegs and started waving it in a slow circle.  
Fishlegs laughed, “Hahahaha! Unfortunately, guys, this is never gonna work on me because I’m way too—okay.” With that he conked out on the floor.  
Hiccup looked over at his friend, a little worried. Snotlout beamed, “Unconscious? Ha! Quick, put his hands in warm water.”  
Hiccup glared, “We’re not going to do that.”  
Gobber cut in, “Ok, now that he’s under, she wants us to tell him that he’s not allergic to Meatlug.”  
“Does that really work?” Snotlout frowned.  
Hiccup sighed, out of everyone I could have chosen to help get Fishlegs up here—why in Loki’s name did I choose him? “I guess we’ll find out. Here goes. Fishlegs, you are not allergic to Meatlug. You are not allergic to Meatlug.”  
Fishlegs groaned a bit in his sleep before he continued to snore on.  
Snotlout looked apprehensive, “So, that’s it?”  
“Hypnosis is very powerful.” Hiccup shrugged, “Ok, let’s bring him out of it.”  
Snotlout jumped, “Now, now, now, hang on a second. We’ve got an opportunity here. The twins have made you Loki’s chosen but we’re in Berk, we need a Thor’s chosen.”  
Hiccup looked at him flatly, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure my dad covers that.”  
“We can rebuild Fish-face.” Snotlout continued. “We can turn him into a worshiped Viking. A fearless, godlike hero…as strong as three yaks! A Viking who commands attention!”  
Hiccup frowned as he saw Fishlegs sit upright while Snotlout continued on, “In other words, a Viking worthy of my friendship.”  
“Uh, yeah, sorry Snotlout, we’re not doing any of that.” He turned to Gothi, “You can bring him out of it now.”  
Gothi walked over and looked at Fishlegs for a moment before snapping her figures…then all Hel broke lose.  
Hiccup watched as Fishlegs stood straight up and stretched his shoulders, making them pop. Hiccup frowned, that wasn’t like Fishlegs. “Fishlegs?”  
Fishlegs turned around, “Fishlegs? There’s no Fishlegs here.” He pushed through Hiccup and Snotlout as he continued and stopped at Meatlug, who looked much happier. “Who is this pudgy little reptile?”  
Snotlout bounced from foot to foot excitedly as Hiccup fought to control his quickly rising anger and Meatlug slunk down sadly. Gobber walked over, “That was a bit harsh.”  
“Fishlegs, are you alright?” Hiccup asked worriedly.  
“Are you deaf, skinny, one-legged boy?” ‘Fishlegs’ grabbed Gothi’s staff and cracked it over his knee before tossing it over the cliff. “The name’s Bonecrusher. Aah! Thor Bonecrusher.”  
Gothi glared at Thor before turning and glaring at Snotlout. Hiccup growled, “Oh gods. Snotlout do you realize what you’ve done? You fool, you’ve created-”  
“My very own super-Viking—Thor flipping Bonecrusher!” Snotlout cried out, pushing Hiccup away. “I love it!”  
Thor grinned broadly before turning back to Hiccup, “I feel like I know you.”  
Hiccup scratched the back of his head, “Uh, yup, yep. You do. We-we’ve been friends for years-”  
“Loki!” Thor yelled.  
Hiccup’s face fell, “What? No! No, I’m Hiccup. Oh for Loki’s sakes I’m not Loki.”  
Snotlout decided to be as annoying as ever possible, a grin spreading across his face, “Yes he is! You know how Loki is.”  
Thor nodded, “Aye, ever the trickster and liar.” He pulled Hiccup-er, Loki-into a death hug, “Brother! What happened to your leg? Last I knew you still had two!”  
Hiccup could only glare deeply at Snotlout for fear of losing all self-control. Snotlout, however, had no such problems as he quickly went on to tell Thor what Loki had done. “Oh it was awesome! Loki took on a dragon the size of Berk, alone! Oh you should have seen how he tricked it! Priceless.”  
Thor beamed, “Ah my brother could win a war with his tricks. On now, we must see this village, uh, Berk—it was called?”  
As Thor drug Loki passed Loki sent Snotlout a look that promised of a slow and painful death. Snotlout just grinned back with a look of victory.  
They walked through the village, Thor walking proudly like he owned the place; Snotlout giddy; and Loki behind both of them talking to Astrid.  
Astrid walked next to Loki and laughed quietly, “He seriously thinks your Loki?”  
Loki grumbled, “Unfortunately…”  
The twins ran up to Loki at that moment, “Dude, we just heard from Gobber the craziest thing!” Tuffnut said.  
Ruffnut nodded, “Yeah, he said you’re Loki!”  
Loki frowned, “I am not Loki, Fishlegs just thinks he’s Thor.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “This is great!”  
“Really?! Care to enlighten me?” Loki asked.  
Tuffnut beamed, “Of course dear Trickster. It is great because it is the conformation from the gods that you are Loki’s chosen.”  
Loki buried his head in his hands, “Oh gods, not this again.”  
Astrid decided to change the subject a bit, “And Gothi can’t just turn him back?”  
Loki shook his head, “Not without her staff, which Thor Bonecrusher crushed and threw off the cliff.”  
Loki shook his head as Snotlout tried to scare Thor with something until he saw Thor swat away a torch and it flew into a house, “Snotlout, Fishlegs! Nock that off!”  
“Help, my house is on fire!” A woman called.  
Loki groaned, “Great, dragons! Get water on that house now!”  
Loki turned and ran over to Toothless who was sitting not far away as Thor ran into the house and pulled out the woman and a sheep. Loki and Astrid grabbed a water trough and dropped them on the house. Astrid looked down, “Hiccup this isn’t making a dent.”  
“I know!” He coughed as they flew out of the smoke, “You and Stormfly get the fire bucket while Toothless and I try and keep it contained.” He looked down and saw the twins and Snotlout just standing there doing nothing while Thor took in the applause. He flew down to grab another trough and shouted at them, “Get on your dragons and help us!”  
Snotlout scoffed, “Thor’s got this.”  
Loki was about to protest when Thor grabbed the trough of water from Toothless’ claws and threw it at the fire, dousing it instantly. “You may commence.” Thor grinned.  
Loki looked at the fire, confused until he saw Astrid fly out of the smoke, and she did not look happy. Landing Stormfly she charged up to Thor, axe drawn. Snotlout laughed, “This is going to be good.”  
Loki frowned and ran to catch up with her, “Astrid, please. He’s not being himself right now!”  
She answered without looking at him, “I know that but that doesn’t excuse him for-”  
Astrid was cut off by Thor, “Why hello, who is this beautiful Valkyrie?”  
Astrid glared, “What were you thinking?” She turned her attention to Snotlout also, “You could have sent the entire village up in flames! Thor, you’re both idiotic and you didn’t put out that fire. Both Hiccup and I dropped troughs of water and it didn’t even make a dent. You-”  
Thor cut her off, “Who is this, Hiccup?”  
Astrid pointed to Loki who nodded, “That’s Hiccup, your best friend.”  
Thor crunched his face, “I’m afraid you must be mistaken, that is Loki, my brother. I do believe I’d know him anywhere, missing leg or no.”  
“Oh, the leg thing…” Loki said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.  
“He’s not your brother, you don’t have a brother!”  
Snotlout cut in, “Sure he does, and I’m his brother in arms!”  
Thor smiled as he looked at Astrid, “Would a fine Valkyrie such as yourself like to accompany me to the Hall for some dinner?”  
Astrid balked at that, “Uh! No, just—ew!” She shoved her axe at his throat, “I’m not going anywhere with you, Thor, until I get Fishlegs back. This is ridiculous!”  
She stormed back to Loki who sighed, “See what I have to deal with?”  
Thor suddenly caught their attention as he yelled, “People of Berk…it is with great pleasure that I announce the arrival of me, Thor Bonecrusher. The most universally feared and loved Viking in all the land is here to enchant you with my presence.”  
Loki groaned as someone yelled, “Look out, the cart!”  
They looked down to where it was headed and saw a baby in a wagon in the way. “Oh no, Toothless!”  
“No!” Thor yelled as he flipped off the hill and landed in front of the wagon.  
“What?!” Loki cried in disbelief.  
Thor grabbed the baby and kissed it before tossing it to its mother then grabbing the cart, halting it. He then picked it up and caught all the apples before any of them hit the ground. Thor grinned, “All in a days’ work.”  
Snotlout began melting, “Did you see that? That was incredible! He ran, then did a flip and then a toss and then a thing. And then flipped into the other thing. Ohh! He’s amazing!”  
“Is it me, or did Snotlout just fall in love with Fishlegs?” Astrid asked.  
Loki shook his head, “No, it’s not just you.”  
“Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher!” Snotlout began cheering, soon everyone in the plaza was cheering for him. Well, everyone except for Loki, Astrid and the twins.  
Tuffnut frowned and said, unamused, “Eh, he’s good and all but-”  
“He doesn’t have the right flare like Loki does.” Ruffnut finished.  
A moment later he took off running through the village. Astrid looked confused as Loki asked, “Where’s he going?”  
Snotlout answered him with the same lovesick voice, “To save a baby yak!”  
“I feel sorry for the yak.” Loki said as he walked away.  
Thor looked around after he put the yak to sleep, “Where is Loki?”  
Snotlout shrugged, “I dunno, I don’t keep tabs on him.”  
Thor frowned, “I must find him so we can have a glorious battle together.  
Loki half walked, half ran into the forge and hurried into his back room. Gobber poked his head in, pausing his work of sharpening the chief’s axe. “Hiccup, are ya alright lad?”  
Loki shook his head, “No I’m not! Please, whatever you do, don’t let ‘Thor Bonecrusher’ know I’m here!”  
“Why not lad?” Gobber asked, mildly entertained.  
Loki paled a bit, “One, because I’m sick and tired of being called Loki. Two, because I heard he wants to battle with me. And three, because I’m about to lose all sanity with him. He is as bad as Snotlout—no, I think he’s worse now.”  
Gobber looked at his apprentice with a look of understanding, “Got ya. Hide here as long as you want.”  
“Thank you.” Loki whispered.  
Gobber walked back out to finish sharpening the axe as Thor and Snotlout walked up. “You, simple blacksmith.”  
“Simple blacksmith?” Gobber asked, a bit perturbed.  
“Uh,” Snotlout said, trying to think on his feet and grabbed a dagger, “How about this one?”  
Thor grabbed it before throwing it into the wall, “Oh, that’s perfect…for removing splinters.”  
Snotlout laughed and grabbed a sword, “What about this one? You can use it to annihilate your enemies.”  
Thor took the sword, “That’s a nice handle, I suppose…if I had wee lady hands. Hahaha!” He threw the sword into the pillar near Gobber.  
Loki sat in his back room against the wall, listening to everything that was happening and keeping as quiet as possible…he never thought he’d see the day were he’d avoid Fishlegs for dear life.  
Gobber growled quietly, “Huh. I made that handle with my best leather.”  
Thor looked at the axe Gobber was holding and grinned, taking it. “No, this. This is an axe for a Viking.”  
Snotlout ducked the incoming axe as Gobber protested. “That’s Stoic’s axe.”  
Loki groaned and came out of the room, he drew the line there. Thor leered, “Correction: this was Stoic’s axe.”  
“Hey, Thor!” Loki said, walking straight up to him and grabbing the axe carefully, “You don’t want this axe.”  
“And why not?” Thor frowned.  
“Because, it breaks, a lot. I have to fix it all the time.”  
Thor looked suspicious, “Then why does he keep it?”  
“Uh, memorabilia. It’s an axe…from his late wife. Doesn’t go far without it…says it keeps her close.” Thor still didn’t look convinced, “So…brother,” Loki fought with the words, “I thought you preferred a hammer, Mjolnir I believe it was.”  
Loki slowly pulled the axe away and handed it back to Gobber. Finally Thor spoke, “I suppose you are right Loki, I must find Mjolnir. I believe it was lost somewhere far north of here.”  
Loki sighed, “Yeah, well it could take a while to get it back…and you wouldn’t happen to know where you, dropped it?”  
Thor became red in anger as he whirled around in Loki’s face, “I didn’t just simply, ‘drop it’. Who do you think I am?”  
“…Bonecrusher?”  
“Exactly! I don’t drop things, I crush them! It was stolen from me by the demon of the water…wait a minute, you want me to go after it, you want me to fight the Midgard Serpent!”  
“What, no! I’d never-”  
Thor cut him off, “You are a trickster and have been jealous of me for years!”  
Loki looked at him blankly, “No, not really.”  
“You will take me to fight it and retrieve my Mjolnir!” Thor walked over to Toothless who hissed at him before quickly flapping away, well, as best he could.  
Thor glared at Loki, “Speak to your best Loki, we must be going.”  
Loki rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Yeah, he doesn’t always listen to me…and I don’t blame him right now.” He added under his breath.  
Thor glared before walking off, “Fine then, I shall find my own beast.”  
Snotlout whined, “But come on Thor! The Night Fury is ‘the Unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself’, it was made for you!”  
Loki glared at Snotlout so hard he was liable to instantaneously combust. He said in a low, dangerous voice that caused Snotlout take a step back in fear, “Toothless is my dragon, Snotlout. He wouldn’t let anyone but me ride him unless I was dying and even then, Thor here doesn’t know how to work the controls for his tail fin.”  
“Then teach me.” Thor demanded.  
“No.” Loki said flatly.  
Thor scowled, “You dare deny me-”  
“I do and I can, Fishlegs. Until we can get you back to normal, you are grounded. You are not to leave Berk and you are most certainly not allowed to fly.”  
Thor because beat red, “You cannot command me, Loki. You have no right to-”  
“For the love of Odin, I. Am. Not. Your. Brother. Or. Loki! I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, son of Stoic and Heir to Berk.” Loki shouted, furious. “I can order you and I am. Until further notice both of your feet stay on the ground.” He turned and began walking away, gently bringing Meatlug along with him, “Come on Meatlug.”  
Gobber watched his apprentice storm away while Thor stormed away in the other direction, Snotlout looking very startled before hurrying after Thor. He sighed, “This is getting outta hand…I better start makin’ Gothi a new staff, and quick.”  
*O*  
Hiccup laid on his bed, groaning with an ice block on either side of his head. Toothless sat curled around his bed with his head laid worriedly on his bed. “I don’t know what to do bud, this goes on for much longer I think I’m going to lose my mind. I mean, I thought Snotlout could be bad but this, this Thor Bonecrusher is twenty times worse than Snotlout on his worst day.”  
Toothless cooed and moved his head onto Hiccup’s lap.  
Hiccup scratched his ears and smiled, “Thanks bud.”  
A sad whine from the corner of the room caused Hiccup to look up. He frowned sadly at Meatlug. Getting up, he walked over to her and tried to pet her reassuringly, “Poor Meatlug…”  
When she pulled away again he sighed and went back over to his bed, and ice blocks. The door opened downstairs and Hiccup stiffed until the voice of his father drifted up, “Hiccup, are you here?”  
“Thank Loki.” Hiccup breathed, looking up at the roof of his room and calling down. “Please don’t yell.”  
Stoic walked to Hiccup’s loft and saw his son lying haphazardly on his bed, “Are you alright? What happened?”  
“Thor Bonecrusher.” Hiccup growled quietly.  
Stoic nodded, “Ah, yes, I heard about Fishlegs’, incident.”  
Hiccup glared, although not at his father, “No, an incident would be Snotlout and Hookfang falling through Mildew’s roof and burning the place to the ground. This, I don’t know what this is…but it’s going to be the death of me. Loki! He thinks I’m Loki! And not only that, he thinks he runs the place. Just this afternoon he tried to take your axe-”  
“He did what?” Stoic asked, heatedly.  
Hiccup continued on, not really hearing him, “-Then he wants to battle with me. As if that’s not bad enough, once I get his mind off of that he want to take Toothless and Snotlout claimed that by all rights he’s Thor’s! Dad I can’t do this! They’re both going to drive me off a cliff if ‘Thor’ doesn’t kill me first!”  
Stoic blinked, taking a moment to let Hiccup cool down. He could remember Hiccup being this upset since, well—ever. “You’ll be alright son. Tomorrow, take him back up to see Gothi—I think Gobber got her a new staff made. It should just be a simple switch back.”  
Hiccup groaned and leaned into his father, “I hope so.”  
*O*  
The next morning Loki found Thor in the Great Hall telling a story of when he took on a Scaldrin. He rolled his eyes as he walked up to Thor and Snotlout, “Hey, Thor. We gotta go.”  
Thor looked at him, “Go, where?”  
“To Gothi’s. She wants to make sure that you head’s alright.”  
Thor looked confused, “What would be wrong with my head?”  
Loki continued on coolly, “You hit it yesterday, remember?”  
“No.” Thor said slowly.  
Loki pulled his arm, “Well you did, come on. Don’t want to keep her waiting.”  
Up at Gothi’s hut, Thor sat impatiently, “I hope this won’t take long, sorceress. I like to nap after a feast of wild boar and mead.”  
Gothi frowned at Loki, “Thanks, Gothi, we really need Fishlegs back.”  
She opened Thor’s mouth and dumped the contents of the bowl in. Thor frowned before running to a barrel and retching.  
Astrid frowned, “Ugh! What was in that potion?”  
Gobber translated for Gothi, “It wasn’t a potion. Just spiced yak bladder. She says that’ll teach him to break her staff.”  
Gothi just looked at Loki with a pleased smirk. Loki himself grinned slightly, silently thanking Gothi.  
Thor finally finished, breathing heavily, “Not the most delicate delicacy.”  
Loki frowned playfully, “You’re a Viking, I thought you didn’t care for ‘delicacies’?”  
Thor frowned at Loki, “When it comes to food, Loki, we will indulge ourselves there. Not like you’d know anything about that.”  
Astrid rolled her eyes and turned to Gothi, “What about getting Fishlegs back?”  
Gobber translated, “She can’t re-hypnotize him without her staff…Hey, what about the one I made you!?”  
Gothi drew in the sand more and Gobber cried, “It is not! I’ll have you know old hag that I made that with my best wood!”  
Gothi continued and Gobber turned red, “that staff will work just as well. So what if it doesn’t have a dragons head?” There was a pause as Gothi wrote something with a displeased look. “You are the most picky woman I know of on Berk.”  
Loki sighed, “Ok, so that’s out, what else can we do?”  
“Fear.” Gobber said. “Only a true feeling of terror will shock Fishlegs back to normal.”  
Astrid frowned, “But Mr. Thor Bonecrusher over here isn’t afraid of anything.”  
Thor sauntered up to Astrid, “Truer words were never spoken, my fair Valkyrie.”  
“Uhg.” Astrid said disgusted.  
Thor clapped his hands together, “Now, Loki, we have business to discuss.”  
“We do?” Loki asked.  
Thor draped an arm over his shoulder and began leading him back down to the village while he talked, “Yes! We must find my Mjolnir!”  
“Oh Loki, not this.” Loki groaned.  
“Yes, this! I will not be complete until I have it back. Come, I will need your beast.”  
Loki’s eye twitched before stopping Thor, “Now hold on! Let’s think about this-”  
Thor continued on, “You think and I’ll act.”  
Thor climbed onto Toothless who looked flatly at Loki. “I’m sorry bud.”  
“Up beast!” Thor commanded but Toothless didn’t move an inch. “What is wrong with him.”  
Loki scratched the back of his head, “He isn’t too fond of you right now…”  
Thor scowled, “How could he not be?!”  
Loki shrugged, feigning dumbness, “I-I don’t know.”  
Toothless continued to glare at Hiccup as Astrid came over with the twins and Snotlout. “What’s going on?”  
Snotlout asked, hurt, “Why is Thor on Toothless?!”  
“Because he is going to fly me out to glorious adventures!” Thor answered.  
Snotlout crossed his arms and pouted, “Hookfang could do that.”  
Astrid looked at Loki, “What’s he talking about?”  
Loki sighed, “He wants to go out and find Mjolnir.”  
Astrid grinned, “Hiccup, you need to go.”  
“What, are you crazy?!” Loki cried.  
“Think about it.” Astrid said, “Gothi said he needed a really bad scare, there’s gotta be something out there that’ll do the trick.”  
Loki groaned, “I know I’m going to regret this.” He turned to the others, “Alright gang, mount up. We’re headed out.”  
“Finally!” Thor cried.  
They flew out to sea, Meatlug trailing behind them like a lost puppy. Thor looked around, board, “Where are we headed, Loki?”  
Loki answered casually, “Before we go out I want to remove the Scaldrin that’s been bothering Berk. After that we’ll head out to find Mjolnir.”  
Thor beamed, “Perfect!”  
Loki turned back to face Thor, “Look, things are going to go fast so I just want you sit down behind me and hang on. Got that?”  
Thor rolled his eyes and said nothing.  
Loki mumbled, “I hope that was a yes.”  
They flew for another couple hours and the weather began to turn. Astrid yelled above the wind, “Hiccup-”  
“He is Loki, not this hiccup you keep calling him!” Thor yelled at her.  
Loki rolled his eyes, “It’s fine, Thor, really.”  
Astrid continued, “Anyway, Loki, this weather’s getting bad. We should head back.”  
Snotlout nodded, “Yeah. Let me throw something out there, Loki, TB. What if we…I don’t know…head back, call it a day, relax at the Great Hall, tell some more really cool stories.”  
Thor glared at Snotlout, “Nonsense, we must continue on and rid Berk of this menace.”  
Loki objected, “You know Thor, they’re right, it’s getting pretty ugly out here. The Scaldrin will be here tomorrow and you can hold off on your quest for Mjolnir for one more night.”  
Suddenly the Scaldrin erupted from the water and Thor cried, “Aha! There it is! And a mighty beast! This shall be the dragon that I ride!”  
Loki paled, “Wait, Thor!”  
Thor leapt off of Toothless back and dived for the Scaldrin. Snotlout cried in horror, “Ahh! My super-Viking’s gone rough!”  
Loki shouted back at the other riders, “Ok, Snotlout and I will give Thor cover fire while Astrid, Ruff and Tuff, you net it and relocate it. I’ll also get Thor out of there.” He added as an afterthought.  
Hookfang fired at the Scaldrin then Toothless did, distracting it from the incoming riders.  
Thor laughed as he rode the Scaldrin, “Hahaha! Ah! This is what I live for!”  
“Thor, I think that’s enough.”  
He grunted, “It would be so much easier if you would just submit to your new master.”  
Loki hung his head, “Thor, it doesn’t really work like that!”  
The Scaldrin dived into the water, taking Thor with him, Hiccup following while them Snotlout followed from above. They broke the water’s surface momentarily before diving again. Loki positioned Toothless just under the Scaldrin as it was air born. “Come on, jump over!”  
“Retreat? In my moment of glory?” Thor asked, almost disgusted at the idea. “Whoa, never!”  
Toothless dodged an incoming water blast as the Scaldrin threw Fishlegs back, landing on its tail. Loki growled in annoyance, “This isn’t going to work.”  
Astrid flew up next to him, “Hiccup, we can’t net the Scaldrin until we get we get Fishlegs off!”  
“I know!” Loki yelled back, “But getting him off the dragon is proving to be a challenge.”  
Thor suddenly yelled, “Loki! Speak to this dragon with your serpent tongue and get it to submit to me!”  
Loki tried to form words but they only failed. He turned to Astrid, “Just hang on a bit longer I’ll-”  
He stopped when Meatlug flew out from behind the group and went straight for Fishlegs. She rammed into the Scaldrin’s head and threw off its shot.  
Loki cheered, “Yes, Meatlug!”  
The Scaldrin then took off after Meatlug who flew away rapidly. Loki’s face fell, “No, Meatlug!”  
He took off after them and watched as Thor leapt from the Scaldrin to Meatlug and was caught in the net. Loki sighed, relieved. He flew next to Astrid, “That was a little too close.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Speak for yourself. That was freakin’ awesome!”  
Loki watched as they flew away with the Scaldrin and turned when he hear Thor speaking like Fishlegs, “Oh, I’m so sorry girl. I don’t know what happened to me. I just, I wasn’t myself.” Meatlug licked him, “Oh, I missed you too! How did I-”  
Loki flew up next to him, “Fishlegs?” He asked carefully.  
“Hiccup! What happened, why are we out here?”  
Hiccup sighed, “Oh thank Loki! It’s a long story, I’ll explain later.”  
*O*  
After they relocated the Scaldrin they returned to Berk. Hiccup landed and Stoic was the first to greet him, “SO, what happened to the Scaldrin?”  
Hiccup scratched Toothless’ head and said happily, “He’s been relocated.”  
One of the villagers suddenly shouted, “What of Thor Bonecrusher?”  
“Yeah, Bonecrusher!” Another yelled.  
Hiccup sighed, relieved, as his father looked at him, curious, “Also relocated.”  
Fishlegs fell off of Meatlug as she tried to land without the saddle. He looked at the villagers, waving nervously, “Hello.”  
The villagers sighed and groaned as they dispersed and Fishlegs turned to give Meatlug a hug. Astrid walked over, smiling, “You know Fishlegs, you didn’t sneeze once the whole ride home.”  
“Yeah.” He nodded, looking down. “And my legs don’t itch anymore.”  
Hiccup walked over, piecing things together, “And Meatlug isn’t wearing her saddle. Maybe you were never allergic to her, you were allergic to the saddle.”  
Fishlegs looked confused, “But why, all of a sudden, would I become allergic to her saddle?”  
Gobber walked over, “Well, uh, I’ve been using a different kind of wax on the saddles.” He pulled his hook from his ear, “Look at that.”  
Hiccup paled and turned away, “This is why I wax my own saddle.”  
Astrid fought the feeling to vomit and Tuffnut groaned, “Oh great, even I draw the line there.”  
“What?” Gobber cried. “I never run out of the stuff. It’s coming out of my ears.”  
Fishlegs began to sneeze and itch instantly and said disgusted, “I’m allergic to Gobber’s earwax?” Gobber walked away, “I am both relieved and disgusted.”  
Snotlout walked up to Fishlegs, depressed. Fishlegs asked, confused, “What, what is it?”  
“I’m just thinking of what might have been. You broke my heart, Thor. You broke it right in two.” He then kissed Fishlegs cheek and walked away with Hookfang.  
Fishlegs watched him go, many expressions on his face, “Ok, that was creepy, right?”  
Hiccup nodded, “You don’t the half of it.”  
Tuffnut looked at Hiccup and laughed a bit, “I will admit, it was rather amusing watching Fishlegs call you Loki and insist that you were his brother.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “Oh yeah. I’m going to forever remember this.”  
Hiccup groaned, “Uh…can’t we just forget this ever happened?”  
“Yes!” Fishlegs cried, “I agree.”  
Astrid smirked, “Sorry, Loki, not happening.”


	7. Writer’s Log Supplemental—7 “Reign of Fireworms”

Hiccup was relaxing—for once, reading though the Book of Dragons again and comparing notes with what they had found in the Dragon Eye—when Fishlegs came running in and out of breath. “Whoa, whoa Fishlegs, what’s the rush?”  
After he caught his breath he pointed outside and grabbed Hiccup, “We have a problem, Fireworms.”  
“Fireworms?” Hiccup asked.  
They ran out and mounted the dragons when they met Astrid coming back from fishing. They surveyed the damage and Fishlegs explained, “It started with one Fireworm and as we were flying back, we kept seeing more and more.”  
“Do you think they’re migrating?” Astrid asked.  
Hiccup looked around at the damage so far, “If they were migrating then the whole island would be on fire. But it’s just a few small spots.”  
“Not necessarily.” Fishlegs started before Snotlout cut him off.  
“Here we go!”  
Fishlegs continued on regardless, “When Fireworms migrate, they send out scouts to see if their migration route is safe. If this is a stop along that route-”  
“An entire flock of Fireworms could be coming through here.” Astrid finished with a frown.  
Tuffnut grinned, “Well, I say bring ‘em on! I lone those little scorchers.”  
Hiccup looked at him flatly, “Are you still going to love them when they all land here and burn the entire island down to the ground.”  
“Yes!” Tuffnut cried then thought about it for a second, “Wait, no. Wait, is that a trick question? Because, it’s pretty tricky.”  
Hiccup shook his head and mumbled, “Only for you Tuff, only for you.”  
“Fishlegs, how much time do we have?” Astrid asked.  
Fishlegs shrugged, Uh, it’s hard to say. If it’s a full migration, the rest of them could be here…as soon as next week.”  
“Uh, nice to know.” Snotlout said cheerily as he and Hookfang pulled away, “It’s been nice knowing you, island. But Snotlout is outlout.”  
Hiccup scowled and yelled at him, “We’re not abandoning the island Snotlout. And if you try or attempt to get out of the work I will make Loki Day look tame for what you will see.”  
Snotlout paled considerably and quickly returned to the group, “Wha-what? No, I love this island! I couldn’t bear to see it burned down!”  
They flew back to the clubhouse and Hiccup started giving orders, “Okay, Astrid, Fishlegs, you guys fill the troughs. Ruff, Tuff, start a firebreak. Snotlout, you and I will start clearing underbrush and anything that can blow around.”  
Snotlout pouted but wisely said nothing, not wanting to invoke Hiccup’s wrath. Several hours later Hiccup and Toothless landed in the clubhouse while Snotlout almost fell off of Hookfang and trudged over to a chair, leaning it back and putting up his feet.  
Hiccup shook his head, “Come on Snotlout, it wasn’t that bad.”  
Snotlout glared, “Says the Viking with only one foot to lug around and a dragon whose fire doesn’t scatter everywhere.”  
Hiccup shrugged, he couldn’t deny the last part. Fishlegs came in and tiredly sat down in a chair and Hiccup turned to Astrid, “You and Fishlegs get the water troughs filled?”  
“Yep! Topped off all the barrels too.”  
Fishlegs sighed, “Partly why it took so long. Ooh! But I found the perfect cave for the Night Terrors. High enough and desolate enough so the flames won’t get near them.”  
“What about the smoke?” Hiccup asked.  
“There’s a few small holes in the cave’s top that’ll allow air in so we can block the main entrance.”  
Hiccup grinned, “Perfect. Good job guys.” He looked around before glancing at the list of things that needed to be done to fireproof the island. “Now if the twins would get back so we could find out what they’ve done.”  
“Oh, I can tell you what they’ve done.” Snotlout interjected. “Zero, zip, zilch. I’m forgetting something. Oh yeah, goose egg!” He finished, making an egg shape with one hand and pointing to it with his other.”  
Hiccup rolled his eyes, “They can do stuff…when they really put their minds to it…or at least Ruffnut can.”  
“Oh, ‘contrary,’ my fine fellows. We have done quite a lot, actually.”  
“Did you clear the brush?” Hiccup asked, skeptical.  
“Uh, no.” Tuffnut answered.  
“Build a fire break?”  
“Nope, not that.” Ruffnut grinned.  
Astrid asked, exasperated, “How about water? Did you bring any back?”  
“Couldn’t, too busy.” Tuffnut shrugged.  
Hiccup gawked, “Busy? With what?!”  
“Finding something, awesome!” Ruffnut answered cryptically.  
Tuffnut ran over to Hiccup and started pushing him towards Toothless, “Come on, we gotta show you!”  
Hiccup scowled, “I’m not going anywhere until you two at least set up the fire break like I told you.”  
Ruffnut began to spring the water works, “Please Hiccup! It’s really important!”  
Hiccup only looked at them, “Until at least your section of the firebreak is built, I have better things to do to fireproof the island so we still have a base for exploring.”  
Tuffnut looked at his sister and said, “He has a point…come on, let’s hurry up and get it done so he’ll come!”  
“Barf!” Ruffnut yelled as she ran out.  
Astrid stared at the two with an open mouth, “I’ll never understand how you can get those two to listen.”  
He shrugged, “I’ve known them for longer, if they really want to do something they’ll get it done. So, if they want me, for whatever disturbing reason, then they need to get their work done.” He looked down at his list, “Now, what else needs to be done…”  
It was midafternoon by the time the twins finished and dragged them out to whatever it was that they found. Ruffnut stood in front of a bolder proudly, “Behold, the name-y rock!”  
Astrid frowned, “And why is that?”  
“Duh,” Tuffnut said matter-o-factly, “‘cause it has our name all over it. Cool, huh!?”  
“Oh yeah!” Snotlout said with fake enthusiasm, “I mean, no. Man, you two are completely ridiculous.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “Ridiculous? Perhaps. But, answer me this—where’s your name-y rock?” She held a hand to her ear to ‘hear’ their reply, pleased to hear none other than Snotlout’s frustrated groan.  
Fishlegs called for Hiccup after he inspected the Stone closer, “You might want to come take a closer look at this. I think it’s a claim stone.”  
Hiccup frowned and read the writing, “I, Magmar Thorston, hereby claim this island in my name and the name of my family present and future, forever and ever.”  
Tuffnut slid next to him, “And what else?”  
“‘And ever,’ apparently.” Hiccup answered with a roll of his eyes.  
Tuffnut laughed, “Ha! Long-lost great uncle Magmar! Oh, my Thor! Wasn’t he the one who could pass an entire cod through one nostril?”  
And debone it at the same time?” Ruffnut asked and Tuffnut nodded. “It’s really a lost art.”  
Hiccup cringed at the mental image, “Thank you for that, disgusting picture.”  
Tuffnut glared flatly at Hiccup, “People just don’t appreciate the craftsmanship.”  
“Oh come on! That stone is a fake.” Snotlout whined.  
Hiccup shook his head, “I don’t know Snotlout.”  
Fishlegs nodded, “Yeah, everything’s spelled correctly.”  
Snotlout deflated, “Ok, you may have a point.”  
Hiccup turned to Toothless, “I’ll go get my dad and Gobber so he can authenticate this.”  
Snotlout jumped, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, why do you get to leave in this crisis?”  
Hiccup blinked, “Because Toothless is the fastest dragon and can get there the fastest.”  
Snotlout glared, “Ho no! You, are staying, I’ll get Stoic.”  
Astrid frowned, “Stormfly’s faster than Hookfang, almost as fast as Toothless, we should go.” Hiccup looked at her with a disbelieving face, “You should stay here to keep getting things cleared and ready for the Fireworms.”  
Hiccup sighed, “Whatever, just get going, please?”  
Astrid grinned and jumped onto Stormfly, shooting straight for Berk.  
Hiccup turned to the rest of the group, “Alright, they’ll be a bit. Let’s get back to fireproofing the island.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “So, are we in charge of the island?”  
Hiccup saw where this was going and said calmly, although there was a hint of warning in his voice, “Not until Gobber confirms it.”

Hiccup hurried up to his father as he prepared to leave Dragon’s Edge again. “Dad, is there nothing you can do about, about this?!” He gestured wildly to Ruffnut and Tuffnut dancing and terribly singing with each other about owning the island while everyone else was about to die.  
“Eh, no. Have fun.”  
Hiccup glared, “Gee thanks, dad. I hate you Loki.”

Toothless snorted irritably as he was woken from his sleep by the Twins’ loud, not quite yelling, talking. Hiccup sighed as he put down the book and walked outside, tucking the book under his arm.  
“Hey, let’s ask Hiccup.”  
He turned irately, “Let’s ask Hiccup what? Because I’m not helping you with any pranks until this Fireworm problem has passed.”  
“Our new Thorstonton sign, does it need to be a little higher?”  
Hiccup banged his head on the book his was holding and muttered, “Thorstonton? Oh gods why?” Ignoring the twins he turned to follow Toothless towards the woods.  
“And where do you think you’re going, Hiccup?” Tuffnut asked.  
Hiccup turned, “To make some more fire breaks, they aren’t going to make themselves.”  
Ruffnut shook her head, “Oh no! Not yet! We need to hand out job assignments!”  
“Job assignments?” He asked warily.  
Tuffnut grinned, “Come along lad. Don’t be late. You have a particularly good one!”  
Hiccup laughed quietly to Toothless, “This otta be good.”  
Toothless snorted.  
“Well…it can’t be worse than Thor Bonecrusher.”  
Toothless rolled his eyes, walking away.  
Once everyone was gathered in the training dome did the Twins begin. “Fishlegs, says here, you are now the official poet laureate of Thorstonton.” Tuffnut read.  
Fishlegs frowned, “Do you even know what that means?”  
Ruffnut looked annoyed at the question, “Duh, it’s what you do when you make Meatlug poetry all the time.”  
“Which actually isn’t half bad sometimes.” Tuffnut added with a thoughtful look.  
Fishlegs looked at them with disbelieving eyes.  
“Astrid,” Tuffnut carried on, “you are the official royal brush clearer. We don’t want Thorstonton burning down, after all.”  
“Or do we?” Ruffnut asked. Tuffnut and nodded thoughtfully.  
Astrid was officially appalled, “I’m not clearing brush for you two. I’m not clearing anything for you two.”  
Hiccup slid over to Astrid, “Come on Astrid-” he started to say before Tuffnut cut him off.  
“Oh, you’ll do it. And you’ll like it, little missy.”  
“A week at most, probably a day or so is what I’m guessing.” Hiccup whispered to her, “As soon as the Fireworms start becoming a real issue they’ll be begging us to help.”  
Astrid glared at him, “Fine, I’ll give it a week at most. And Odin help me, I’ll make their lives miserable afterwards.”  
Hiccup looked up at the sky, “Of course you will.”  
He tuned back into the twin’s conversation with Snotlout, “-new sergeant at arms.”  
Snotlout’s skeptical look faded away into a pleased look, “Mm, I like the sound of that—‘arms’.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Knew you would! Alright, Hiccup.”  
Ruffnut beamed, “Oh you got something good!”  
Snotlout snickered, “Oh, here comes payback.”  
Hiccup frowned slightly, only imagining what they’d have him do for always ‘spoiling’ their fun when it got too destructive.  
Tuffnut continued, “You are our new Dragon Counselor and Advisor!”  
“What!?” Snotlout cried, “That’s it? Why didn’t I get that!?”  
Ruffnut held her hands behind her back, “Well, for one, Hiccup knows the most about dragons.”  
“And two!” Tuffnut continued, “We can in good conscious leave our fellow trickster in the dust, not when he’s stood by our side through so many harrowing and legendary Loki-ing tricks. Through thick and thin he has brought us through.”  
Ruffnut added with a shrug, “Not to mention that we couldn’t just demote Loki’s favored to something like a stable boy, now could we?”  
“Of course not, dear sister!”  
Hiccup shrugged, “Well, I guess there are perks.”  
Astrid glared at him along with Snotlout, though both for their own reasons.  
Snotlout walked forward, “So here’s a question. What’s a sergeant at arms do, anyway?”  
“You enforce the rules.” Tuffnut said bluntly, “If someone doesn’t follow them, you make sure they do. And if things get really nasty, you show them the fancy new dungeon and give them some yak dung tea. Got it?” He asked darkly.  
“Dungeon! I like it. Better than ‘brush clearer’.” He smirked at Astrid.  
She glared, “Do you want to wake up with a working hand in the morning?”  
Snotlout grinned, “Careful, or I might throw you in the dungeon. Although, I could overlook this slight disregard for authority with a bribe, say, a kiss from a fair lady maybe?”  
Astrid smirked, “Sure. Ruffnut, you seem to be the closest thing we have to a lady.”  
Snotlout glared at Astrid.  
Tuffnut grinned again as he threw away the job assignment sheet and pulled a new scroll from—wait, where’s he get that? “Okay, and speaking of new rules, without further ‘adieu’…”  
Ruffnut grabbed the scroll, “Yeah, no more further ‘adieus.’ Anyway, rule number one: everyone must bow to your rulers when they enter the room.”  
“Rule number two:” Tuffnut said grabbing the paper back from Ruffnut, “everyone must also bow to your rulers when they exit the room.”  
Ruffnut re-grabbed the paper, “Everyone must bow to your rulers when they are in the room.”  
Hiccup looked at them incredulously, “So, basically, we just bow all the time?”  
“Ooh, Hiccup, coming in for the big win.” Tuffnut praised.  
“Except,” Ruffnut said.  
Snotlout raised a brow, “Except what?”  
“Except for Hiccup.”  
Tuffnut grabbed the paper and read, “Except for Loki’s chosen who will only have to bow-”  
“As a curtesy-” Ruffnut added.  
“When the rulers enter the room.” Tuffnut finished.  
Snotlout threw his hands up in the air, “Oh come on! Why, why no retribution on him!?”  
Tuffnut and Ruffnut shared a look before Tuffnut said, “Well, for one, we don’t want to get on Loki’s bad side.”  
“And two,” Ruffnut added, “Hiccup is like our third twin, been with us almost since the beginning.”  
“What?! No way! Snotlout shouted, “I was with you guys way longer than he was!”  
They just glared at him while Hiccup shifted uncomfortably back to Toothless. Now equipped with more knowledge than he’d wanted to know.  
“NEXT!” Ruffnut shouted, “there will be a small fee for landing your dragons on the island.”  
“And another small fee for taking off.” Tuffnut said.  
Ruffnut continued, “There will be a fee for sleeping.”  
“A fee for waking up.”  
“A fee for eating.”  
“And a small fee for drinking.”  
“How about breathing?” Astrid asked, severely annoyed.  
“Good idea!” Tuffnut nodded, “Mark that down.”  
“Way ahead of you.” Ruffnut said as she threw away the pencil.  
“And finally, the letter ‘S’ has been officially removed from the alphabet.” Tuffnut finished. “So you’re going to want to avoid words like sword…”  
“Severed leg-”  
“Severed head…”  
“Cyclone!” Ruffnut continued, twirling her figure around in a circle.  
Fishlegs cut in, “That’s actually a C.”  
“Uh-uh!” Tuffnut shouted, “Notlout, quiet him!”  
Snotlout looked around, confused, “Notlout? Who’s Notlout?” Shrugging, he walked away.  
Astrid asked, “Do you two realize that there is an S in the name of your island?”  
Tuffnut frowned, “Ilence, ubject! How dare you ay such thing?”  
“Any other rules? Hiccup asked quickly, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible.  
Tuffnut grinned and pull another scroll out from, his briefs? Loki I don’t even want to know Hiccup sighed mentally.  
Before either twin could say anything a Fireworm flew through the paper, burning a large hole in it, which the twins looked through. Tuffnut straightened, “Brush clearer, clean that up.”  
Astrid gawked at the audacity of the twins before Hiccup grabbed a stick and picked up the Fireworm. “Ok, I got this. Astrid, we need to stay on top of the Fireworm thing.” He threw the Fireworm and Toothless hit it away with his tail and glanced at the growing fires, “I’ll come help you in a minute Astrid to make a fire break.”

Sunset loomed and Hiccup and Toothless tiredly flew back to the edge. Only having two working dragons to fireproof an entire island was not good, both dragons and Vikings were worn down to the bone. Astrid touched down first and was greeted by the twins, “That’s a two mackerel landing charge little lady.”  
Astrid glared but was too tired to argue, Stormfly hoping over to the fish trough.  
“Two more mackerel. Are you keeping track or am I?” Ruffnut asked.  
Toothless hovered in the air above them and Hiccup called down, “Technically that second one was a hop, not a landing.”  
Tuffnut frowned, “Well sure, it you want to get technical.”  
Hiccup leapt down off of Toothless who landed a minute later.  
Ruffnut was on him immediately, “Two mackerel landing charge Hiccup.”  
He raised a tired eye, “No, I jumped from Toothless, I didn’t land him.”  
Tuffnut and Ruffnut looked at him with suspicious eyes, Tuffnut commenting, “Ah-ha! Something the silver-tongued Trickster would say!”  
“Why? Am I wrong?”  
“No.” Ruffnut said cautiously, “But very Loki-ish of you.”  
Hiccup sighed and made his way up the ramps, intent on going to bed, “Whatever.”

Hiccup walked over to Astrid after they wetted several acers of nearby trees. “I think that’s about all we can do for now.”  
Astrid sighed and looked back at the Edge, “Are you sure that this is a good idea?”  
“Uh, not-not really but there’s really not much we can do about it.” He grabbed her gently by her forearm, “Look, if they haven’t relented by the time the Fireworm migration is finished, you and I can pull a major Loki on them. In fact, I’m sure I can easily get Snotlout and Fishlegs in it as well.” Hiccup smiled mischievously.  
Astrid thought about that for a minute before replying, “We might just owe it to them anyway.”  
Hiccup laughed, “I’ll see you back at the Edge Astrid, I want to check on the Night Terrors real quick.”  
She nodded with a smile and hopped onto Stormfly.  
Hiccup and Toothless made a quick lap around the island before landing on the Edge again, where the twins weren’t around. He quickly slipped into his room and grabbed some yak jerky and a few fish for Toothless before grabbing a heavily marked sheet of paper outlining a new design for something he was going to call the Dragon Fly.  
The sun was slipping behind the waves when the twins came bursting into his hut, startling both him and Toothless. “Hiccup!”  
“What? What is it? Are the Fireworms here already?”  
“What? No.” Tuffnut shook his head and Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.  
Ruffnut said, “We need dragon help.”  
Hiccup became slightly suspicious but asked, “Uhm, ok? Are Barf and Belch ok?”  
Tuffnut waved him off, “Oh they’re fine. No, what we need to know is-”  
“-what kind of dragon would be best to help us build our new palace!” Ruffnut finished.  
“P, palace?” Hiccup asked disbelievingly.  
“Yes!” Tuffnut confirmed, “And then, once you have that figured out, we need you to get said dragon!”  
Hiccup rubbed the back of his head, “Uh, well w-what do you want the dragon to do? I mean, do you want one to help build a foundation or one to help more with structural building?”  
“Either!” Tuffnut beamed.  
Ruffnut added, “Both would be great actually.”  
Hiccup nodded, “Alright, uh, it could take me a while to figure out which ones will be best.” He halfway fibbed.  
Tuffnut waved, “Ah, not to worry fellow trickster! No rush at all!”  
Hiccup walked out of his hut, rubbing his eyes, to see Snotlout herding Astrid and Fishlegs into the stables, or as the twins like to put it, ‘our fancy new dungeon.’ Sighing, he and Toothless flew down to see what was up.  
“Snotlout, what are you doing?”  
“Never you mind Dragon Counselor. This is official Thortontonston business.” Snotlout said, tripping over the ‘no S rule.’ “Welcome to your new home, jailbirds.”  
Hiccup sighed and walked over to them, “What are you in for?”  
“Funny?” Astrid deadpanned, obviously not amused. “Exactly how long are you going to let this go on? It’s been three days Hiccup, and the Fireworms are coming in in droves now, way more than we anticipated.”  
Fishlegs agreed, “Yeah, the migration is picking up steam.”  
“I’ll talk to them.” Hiccup looked to be in deep thought, “I’m sure I can get this all straightened out.”  
Fishlegs looked close to glaring, “Hiccup, I’m normally not like this but if they don’t listen to reason-”  
“Then we’ll have to figure something else out.” Hiccup smirked slightly at that and Fishlegs nodded.  
He took off with Toothless into the setting sky, looking for the twins. After fifteen minutes of looking around the Edge it was obvious that they weren’t there and began searching the rest of the island, finding them on the far side near several small fires. “So, you guys surveying the damage?”  
“No,” Tuffnut said, “we’re looking for a place to build our summer palace.”  
Ruffnut pointed to a flat area patch of earth, “That might be a nice area once the fires burn the vegetation away.”  
Hiccup frowned, “Uh, where’s your winter palace at?”  
“The Edge.” Ruffnut said.  
Hiccup looked at them blankly, “Uh, you guys do know what the point of a summer palace is, right?”  
“Of course!” Tuffnut said regally, “It’s so we can have a really cool castle.”  
“You know,” Ruffnut added, “Like those really cool-”  
“-big!”  
“-castles they have down north?”  
“So, any thoughts Hiccup?”  
He nodded vigorously, “Yeah, just one. Have you considered the fact that if you throw everyone in jail, there’s no one left to actually build your summer palace?”  
The twins looked at each other and Tuffnut answered, “We’re listening.”  
“And what about the Fireworm migration?” Hiccup raised his shield to block a couple of oncoming ones. “Astrid and I did a lot but there’s only so much we could do to fireproof the island alone, don’t you think it would be better to have everyone-”  
Ruffnut groaned, “You were helping Astrid fireproof the island?”  
“Yes?” Hiccup half asked, wondering what was wrong with that.  
Tuffnut scoffed, “Wha-come on Hiccup! You had a very specific job and you only had to follow what was in that job.”  
Hiccup blinked, “I-what? What’s going on-what’s wrong with?”  
“One job Hiccup, one job!” Ruffnut shouted.  
Tuffnut muttered, “What kind of democracy are we living in?”  
“Is this about me helping Astrid fireproof the island so it wouldn’t burn down?”  
Ruffnut frowned at Tuffnut, “Maybe we didn’t make it clear enough that they were only supposed to do their job?”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, probably.”  
“Guys!” Hiccup shouted, “Fireworms! Issue at hand!”  
They looked around before Tuffnut looked back at Hiccup, “I see your point, but I also see something else.”  
“Oh yeah!” Ruffnut grinned.  
Hiccup resisted the urge to sigh, “What? What’s that?”  
“Toothless is flying faster than Barf and Belch!” She said.  
“And by Thorstonton law-” Tuffnut said.  
“That is illegal!” Ruffnut finished.  
Hiccup buried his head in his hands, “Loki, why? Am I being punished for something?”  
“Notlout!” Tuffnut yelled.  
“Ruff, Tuff! I swear if you don’t start listening I’m going to Loki both of you!”  
They looked at each other, trying to determine if Hiccup was serious before Tuffnut said in a very serious voice, “You wouldn’t, you can’t. It’s against the unspoken law of Loki followers to Loki a fellow trickster.”  
“Notlout reporting in!” Snotlout yelled.  
Ruffnut pointed to Hiccup, “Put him with the others.”  
Hiccup leaned against the back of his ‘cell’ while Snotlout walked away.  
Astrid walked up to him, “So, what you in for?”  
“They are so going to get it.”  
Astrid frowned, “I thought tricksters weren’t allowed to Loki each other?”  
Hiccup grinned wickedly, something she had only seen a few times before—both times sending chills up her spine. “Loki isn’t the god of tricks and lies for nothing.”  
“Oh Thor help us.” Astrid breathed.  
A minute later Snotlout came dragging himself in and throwing himself in the cage. “Snotlout?” Hiccup asked.  
“I was framed.” Snotlout said sadly, glaring at Hiccup.  
Astrid growled, “All right, that’s it! We’re breaking out of here.”  
“Great!” Snotlout cried making a killing motion, “Then we go back to my plan.”  
Hiccup stepped between them, “Guys, guys, we’re fine. Well give them a bit longer, the twins can’t be that oblivious.”

Hiccup sat at his desk with several sheets of paper when Astrid walked in, “Whatcha up to Hiccup?”  
He glanced up from his work with a smile, “Well, Loki Day is coming up and I have a...debt to repay to the twins.”  
Astrid smirked, “Well this won’t end well.”  
Hiccup grinned, “I’m glad you stopped by, I’m going to need your help for some of this.”  
She cracked her knuckles, “In that case, I believe I have a debt to repay as well.”


	8. Shock and Awe

Writer's Log Supplemental—8 "Shock and Awe"  
Suggested by Guest  
Hiccup laid flat against Toothless' back as said dragon silently crept away from a hut, dawn's light just beginning to paint the sunrise. Once safely away from the hut Hiccup laughed quietly to himself while Toothless followed with a dragoneque, gurgling laugh; Hiccup put a figure to his mouth to quieten his friend as they finished sneaking away.  
Once safely away Hiccup couldn't contain his laughter anymore, laughing so hard he had to grip Toothless' saddle for support. "Well bud, who do you think will like it more? The twins or Hookfang?"  
Toothless raised his head, thoughtful, before flapping his wings in the hut's direction.  
Hiccup rubbed his head, "Yeah, probably. Come on, I want to get on with the next one."  
~O~  
Fishlegs walked into the Clubhouse with the other Riders, all still rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Smells of delicious meat and something sweet drifted towards them and woke up Fishlegs instantly. "Mm! Who's cooking?"  
Snotlout raced ahead of him, intent on stuffing his face first, only to stop dead in the doorway when he caught sight of the cook.  
Hiccup grinned from his spot on the bench, holding a cup of yak milk and thin piece of spiced salmon in the other. He waved them over, taking another bit. "Hey, figured I'd cook us up something for the day. Loki knows I don't trust the twins in the kitchen on Loki Day."  
Fishlegs, Astrid and Snotlout paled at the thought, Astrid turning to them and scowling while they snickered. Snotlout broke into the exchange, "Hold on, since when can Princess Outpost cook?"  
"Oh since always!" Tuffnut chimed.  
Ruffnut grinned while contently holding her stomach, "Oh man, he has the best sweet cakes."  
Snotlout stared at him, mouth agape. "Why, what? How?!"  
Hiccup cringed slightly, "Dad, doesn't have the best cooking skills so Gobber taught me a lot. And Loki knows I had plenty of free time to perfect a few recipes."  
Fishlegs smiled with a knowing yet unbelieving look, "A few? Try most of Berk's recipes and then some."  
Tuffnut nodded vigorously, "Yeah! He could fill a book with them! Wait, you should write a book of recipes!"  
"We'll call it," Ruffnut spread her hands apart to create an exploding image, "Hiccup's Delicious Food Recipe Book!"  
Hiccup laughed nervously, "That's alright guys."  
Tuffnut went to protest before shrugging and dropping it. He ran over and gripped Hiccup in a tight hug, Ruffnut doing the same, "Happy birthday Hiccup!"  
Hiccup was torn between smiling and grimacing, it came out a little of both, a bit more grimace than smile, "Uh, thanks guys."  
"Oh just wait until you see what we have for you!"  
"No, guys, that's alright!" Hiccup paled slightly, remembering the gift they had given him last year…a rather explosive gift that nearly took off his father's beard when he set it on the table too hard.  
Snotlout stared at Hiccup confused, "Wait, today's your birthday?"  
Hiccup shrugged, "Honorary birthday honestly."  
"How did I forget that?"  
Astrid sighed with a look of understanding, "Because we all try to block out Loki Days from our memory."  
"Ah!" Snotlout nodded quickly, "That's why."  
Hiccup chuckled and gestured to the food, "Well, I'd suggest you eat this before the dragons get to it…I've already had a few incidences with Toothless." He 'glared' at said dragon but he only grinned toothlessly with a pleading look in his eyes.  
Hiccup shook his head and grabbed a sweet cake from the table and waved, "I'm going to catch some early flying with Toothless. See you guys later."  
Astrid frowned as she watched Hiccup leave. It wasn't like she didn't trust him but, well, today was Loki Day. She wouldn't put it past him to have cooked this entire meal just to keep them all busy while set up more pranks.  
Slowly, she joined the others, the twins already gorging their food while Fishlegs took his time to properly enjoy its taste—not getting Hiccup cooked food all that often. Snotlout took one cautious sniff of the meat before shrugging and stuffing it in his mouth, "This is great!"  
Astrid piled her plate with some meat and a sweet cake and began to eat.  
Sometime later Snotlout reached for the jug of yak milk and pour himself a cup. As if dying of thirst, he guzzled the drink, only for his eyes to widen a moment later and spit out the drink. "Eh! EW! Gross, gross! Nasty, vile! What is that!?"  
"Is it gross?" Tuffnut asked, way too enthused.  
"Incredibly!" Snotlout answered as he scraped his tongue along a piece of meat to rid it of the taste.  
Tuffnut turned to Ruffnut, "Quick! Pour me a cup!"  
She poured two cups and they both quickly drank, only to visibly shudder as they swallowed. Ruffnut's body shook as she finished, "That was vile. Do it again!?"  
Tuffnut held out his cup for more only for Astrid to grab the jug and pour some into her cup. Swishing it around, she looked at it with skepticism. Snotlout, still cleansing his tongue, warned, "Don' drink it, it's vile."  
For once she took his warning wholeheartedly but still carefully raised it too her lips and took the smallest sip. Only to nearly gag a moment later. "Oh, that is awful. What is that?"  
Fishlegs looked at Astrid's cup and dipped his figure in to taste and cringed, "It tastes like watered down yak milk mixed with, ek, Gaia Berries."  
Snotlout looked mortified, "Who would ruin perfectly good YAK MILK!?"  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at each other, "Should we say it for Hiccup?"  
Ruffnut grinned, "Defiantly."  
"LOKIED!"  
Snotlout scowled as he grabbed another piece of meat and left muttering, "Only Hiccup would stoop so low to mess with the food."  
~O~  
Later that morning Hiccup was relaxing with Toothless while Snotlout sat close to Hookfang, glancing around at every noise and gripping his helmet for dear life. Hiccup snickered at his actions while Snotlout glared, a silent warning. Fishlegs suddenly ran into the Clubhouse, "Guys! Guys! There's something down in the cove, some kind of monster."  
"Hold on Fishlegs." Hiccup stood and placed a calming hand on his shoulder, "Take a breath and explain what you saw."  
Fishlegs took a deep breath before relaying quickly, "It had two heads, maybe three. And it made this weird sound like nothing I've ever heard before. It was like a…a uh…" Fishlegs attempted to mimic sound but came out as slightly more terrifying Terrible Terror.  
"Oh my Thor. That's incredible, Fishlegs!" Snotlout cried.  
"I know, right?"  
"Wrong! Not getting me on Loki Day. If it isn't already obvious to you all, I am way smarter than—" He was cut off as he stepped into a snare trap while leaving the club house.  
Fishlegs, Astrid and Hiccup just looked at him unimpressed, Fishlegs adding, "Obviously. Much smarter."  
"Hiccup!" Snotlout growled.  
Hiccup held his hands up with a laugh, "That wasn't mine."  
Astrid scoffed, "Seriously Snotlout, Hiccup doesn't go for quite that obvious."  
"LOKI'D!" Both twins cried.  
"Hahaha, fine. You got me. But I still don't believe Fishlegs about that creature in the lagoon."  
"Creature in the Edge Lagoon." Tuffnut said mysteriously, "Just when you thought it was safe to bathe in a lagoon."  
They all gave him blank looks, even Ruffnut. Snotlout groaned, "Okay. Any day now."  
"Toothless."  
A bluish/purple blast cut the rope and hit Snotlout's foot, causing him to spin as he fell. "Thanks, much appreciated…stupid dragon."  
Fishlegs became serious again, "You can Loki all you want. I know what I saw."  
"We've been swimming and fishing in that cove for months, Fishlegs. Are you sure something was there?" Hiccup asked.  
Astrid stepped in front of Hiccup, "You sure it wasn't just the light through the fog? It can play really weird tricks. Especially at that hour."  
"Sounds like somebody got Loki'd by the fog." Tuffnut grinned.  
"It wasn't the fog you guys!"  
Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, Fishlegs. I believe you. Something could have swam in overnight during high tide. Let's fly down together and check it out."  
Fishlegs sighed, "Thank you Hiccup."  
Fishlegs dropped a piece of cove caught fish into the water and tide it off on Meatlug while Hiccup looked around. "Are you sure that this was the cove you saw it in?"  
"Yes! It was here." He looked around, "Where is it now?"  
"It could be hiding in deeper water."  
Fishlegs nodded before Toothless landed on the beach, Hiccup circling the cove looking for any other signs.

Tuffnut laughed as he and Ruffnut made their way to their hut. "Can you believe it? Even the fog got Fishlegs!"  
"Yeah, that was pretty good."  
Barf and Belch walked in before the door closed, "So, dear sister, who should we Loki next?"  
Ruffnut grinned, "We'll, I've been thinking about that."  
"Oh! I love it when you think!" Tuffnut cried.  
"And, I think it's Astrid's turn. We haven't been able to get her in years."  
"Too true. The Forbidden Fruit that we have not yet,"  
"Successfully-"  
"Been able to Loki."  
"Exactly."  
Tuffnut rubbed his hands together, "But first, what do you say to some good old fashioned Boar Wrestling?"  
"Bring it!"  
They ran down to the Boar Pit pushed down the leaver to open the gate, preparing themselves as it rose. Tuffnut was about to launch at them when he suddenly stopped, Ruffnut also staring. Behind the gate waited, not boars, but several dozen rabbits. White, black, brown and a combination of said colors of fluffy rabbits. A few of them even had a little ribbon tied into a neat bow around their neck.  
"What in Loki's name…?" Ruffnut breathed.  
The rabbits hopped out of the cage and filled the pit. Tuffnut frowned, "How are we supposed to wrestle boars if all there is are rabbits? We can't wrestle these guys! Their too cute and fluffy!"  
Ruffnut picked up a rabbit that had a green bow around it with a piece of paper attached. She unfolded it and read, "Loki'd!"  
Tuffnut read said sheet of paper, "You don't think…?"  
"No, he couldn't, he wouldn't." Ruffnut argued.  
Tuffnut looked around, "Who else would have such a cunning and dastardly idea?"  
Ruffnut scowled, "He will pay!"  
"No one tricks a fellow Trickster!"  
Ruffnut shrugged, still holding the rabbit, "Well, you have to give him some credit for most surprising trick."  
Tuffnut patted the rabbit's head, "Ah true, true."

Hiccup sat against Toothless as Fishlegs continued to 'fish' for the creature, he laughed quietly to himself trying to determine if there really was something in the cove or if Loki was having his own fun. Currently, however, Fishlegs was asleep on Meatlug who was also taking a nap and was slowly descending towards the water.  
Hiccup did nothing but watch them, deciding that even though he wouldn't Loki his best friend that this would suffice. Besides, Meatlug would probably wake up when her feet hit the water and if she didn't then he'd do something.  
As Meatlug's claws dipped in, a swift movement from beneath caught his attention before it shocked Meatlug and in turn, Fishlegs—sending him flying into the water. Worried, Hiccup jumped onto Toothless and took off for the water, diving near where Fishlegs had plunged in.  
A dark shape moved quickly through the water and Toothless fired a warning shot when it rushed Fishlegs. It swerved at the last moment but all three could feel the electricity course through the water at its passing.  
Toothless grabbed Fishlegs and they were above water again, Fishlegs rambling as they dropped him on a now very awake Meatlug. "Oh, Thor, I promise I won't stay up late reading books anymore. I promise I won't pocket extra burly cakes. I promise I'll tell Snotlout where I hid his favorite axe-"  
"Wait that was you?!" Hiccup cried.  
Fishlegs paled, "Yes?"  
Hiccup laughed, "You've been spending too much time around the twins, but that was good."  
"Hey!" Fishlegs pointed a dark shape, receding shape, "It's going to get out, we have to close the exit."  
"Wait, Fishlegs!" Hiccup yelled as he flew after him.  
Fishlegs already had most of the exit closed off before Hiccup reached them. He looked at the creature hard as it stopped and swam into deeper water. "I feel like I've seen it before."  
Hiccup watched it swim away, "I don't think it likes it here."  
"Please Hiccup! I need to know what it is!"  
Hiccup sighed, "Alright, I'll give you two days. But if it starts having problems we're letting it out."  
"Yes! Thank you Hiccup! We should get the others to help."  
They flew back and found Snotlout tearing through the club house and the twins standing beside Barf and Belch—both glaring at the door through which they entered. Fishlegs ran in grinning, "Guys. We saw it! There really is a creature-"  
Tuffnut put a figure to Fishlegs mouth before stalking towards Hiccup, "Alright Mr. Trickster. Where are they?"  
"Where are who?" Hiccup asked, honestly looking confused.  
Snotlout stood and pushed Tuffnut away, "Oh no, you don't get to harp on him until you two tell me where YOU HID MY AXE!"  
Ruffnut groaned, "We didn't take your axe! We told you, we'd do something way cooler than that."  
Astrid walked in, "What's with all the yelling? I'm pretty sure Berk can hear it."  
Everyone started talking at once, Snotlout about his axe, the twins about being Loki'd and Fishlegs about finding the creature again and Hiccup seeing it. "Shut IT!" She turned to Hiccup, "Now what's going on?"  
He pointed to Snotlout and the twins, "Their having Loki-day problems and" he gestured to Fishlegs and himself, "we saw the creature. Or at least, I saw it attack. There is something there-"  
"And I'd really like help in catching and figuring out what it is!" Fishlegs squealed.  
Astrid whistled for Stormfly while Snotlout whined, "But my axe!"  
Tuffnut glared, "O' drop the axe thing already, what about not Loki'ing fellow tricksters!"  
Hiccup grinned mischievously before hopping onto Toothless and shouted, "Consider it payback for the whole owning the island/Fireworm incident."  
Ruffnut frowned, "Still not letting that one go hu?"  
Both Fishlegs and Snotlout cried, "NO!" Snotlout adding, "Not by a long shot!"  
As they flew to the cove Fishlegs said, "Last time I saw the creature, it was heading for the deepest part of the cove."  
Astrid asked, "Is it more like a giant fish, or a big snake?"  
"I don't know, it was hard to tell from underwater."  
Hiccup thought for a moment, trying to recall what it looked like from above water, "It looked almost more like an underwater Valkyrie."  
Snotlout laughed, "Are you two sure you weren't looking at Meatlug?"  
Hiccup glared while Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "Ha, ha. Very funny."  
The twins flew up near Snotlout and he burst, "Where did you two hide my axe!? I know it's Loki Day but come on, it was my favorite one!"  
Tuffnut sighed, "Snotlout, that simply isn't our style. Sure we'll bang you up-"  
"Set you hut on fire-"  
"So it was you who vandalized my S!"  
Ruffnut shook her head, "Nah, that was Hiccup."  
Tuffnut continued on, "But the point is, dear Snotlout,"  
"We don't destroy you from the inside out." Ruffnut grinned.  
Snotlout slowly turned to Hiccup and growled, "Hiccup."  
He grinned but stayed facing forwards, "Innocent on this one!"  
"Innocent my dirty boots." Snotlout mumbled/growled.  
Fishlegs called back and swung Meatlug around, "Okay, let's fan out and find the creature. Don't get too close to the water."  
"How do we know it's even real?" Snotlout asked.  
"Because it bit me!" Fishlegs cried, exasperated, as he showed them his leg.  
Astrid looked at it closely, "That doesn't look like a bite, it looks like a burn."  
"Grab your buckets." Hiccup yelled, "We're gonna chum the water to see if it'll show itself again."  
"Not me!" Snotlout yelled, a knowing look on his face. "Loki Day trick. I can smell it from a mile away." He laughed.  
"I swear I had nothing to do with this Snotlout." Hiccup sighed, pausing to look at him only to stop and stare as the water below Snotlout began to bubble.  
"How dense do you think we are?" He asked.  
Hookfang roared, as if in agreement.  
"Uh, Snotlout?"  
"What?"  
The creature jumped out of the water and shocked Hookfang and, in turn, Snotlout.  
Fishlegs gasped, "That's…that's not a creature at all."  
"It's a dragon!" Hiccup's eyes hardened while Fishlegs' widened.  
"And not just any dragon, it's a Seashocker!" He finished with elation.  
Hiccup turned to the group, "Let's land to let Hookfang get his bearing again."  
Tuffnut frowned, "That's it? Some dumb dragon? Nothing awesome, H?"  
He rolled his eyes, "Not everything on Loki Day has to be a prank guys. Though, I suppose this could be Thor getting at us."  
Ruff and Tuffnut grinned madly as they set down, Fishlegs pacing in excitement, "A Seashocker! Right in our cove! And I found him!"  
"You mean you trapped him." Tuffnut said flatly.  
"I didn't tr—Argh!"  
Hiccup smiled, "I-I gotta tell you Fishlegs, this is incredible! Even Bork never got a good look at it."  
"Right! Seashockers are extremely difficult to spot because they hardly ever surface."  
Snotlout sighed mournfully.  
Hiccup continued on Fishlegs' train of thought, "Yes, because they're deep water dragons!"  
"Exactly, which is why it didn't take my bait."  
They finished at the same time, "It only eats deep-sea fish!"  
Snotlout looked on, utterly bored and unenthused, "Geek mode, fully engaged."  
"Ok," Tuffnut cut in, "can we step away from the onslaught of dragon knowledge?"  
Ruffnut nodded, "With pleasure, brother."  
Tuffnut took a step back while Ruffnut took several steps back, missing Tuffnut's devious grin. Not a second later did the ground beneath her crack and send her falling into a pit.  
Hiccup jerked his head up as she yelled, giving Tuffnut a disapproving frown before turning back to Fishlegs to geek out more.  
"Loki'd!"  
"What? I thought we were on the same team!" Ruffnut yelled up.  
Tuffnut stood and popped his knuckles, "Sorry, sis. A team is only as strong as its weakest player. And compared to Hiccup, you gotta go."  
"Tuffnut." Hiccup sighed.  
Ruffnut yelled, furious, "As soon as I get out of this hole, it is on!"  
Snotlout grinned, approving, as Tuffnut continued, "Just wait until she sees the snake I put down there."  
Hiccup sighed, exasperated, "And just when did you find time to dig a pit and search for a snake when you can't even complete a full watch?"  
Ruffnut yelled as the snake bit her.  
"You know, I really hope that wasn't poisonous." Astrid glared at him also, usually the one to pick up said missed watch.  
Snotlout nodded, "You are truly a master."  
"Uh…right between the beginning of the watch and the end of it?"  
"Oh Loki." Hiccup buried his head in his hands.  
"Jerk!" Ruffnut yelled after she recovered.  
Tuffnut grinned, "I think she saw it."

Snotlout walked into Astrid's hut with a scowl on his face, "Alright, what's it this time?"  
Astrid, Fishlegs and Hiccup quickly shushed him; Astrid being the loudest, "Shut up mutton head."  
He blinked and kept quiet, Fishlegs adding, "This is the only place the twins truly fear."  
"What?"  
Hiccup beckoned him over, "My final Loki Day trick, I need some help on this one."  
Snotlout grinned and rubbed his hands together evilly. "Oh yeah, I'm in. Though I still need to get you back for my S!"  
Hiccup grinned, no remorse evident, "Hookfang liked it."  
He glared, "And where's my axe?"  
Hiccup stifled a laugh and kept his grin minute. "Yeah, I actually don't know about that one."  
He huffed, "I'll get it out of you."  
Hiccup turned to the table where a piece of parchment laid, "Alright, so here's the plan…"  
~O~  
Fishlegs looked up from his spot on the ladder and saw the twins coming. He made one last, quick swipe and hoped onto Meatlug, "Hurry girl."  
They flew under the floor boards to the twin's hut, passing Snotlout who was setting up his own traps—and snickering evilly. Astrid was already there, stringing up ropes and attachments for the dragons. Fishlegs grabbed one and grinned, Astrid mimicking him.  
~O~  
Tuffnut beamed as he and his sister stepped into Hiccup's hut, "Your Vikings of the Year have arr—Ow!"  
"Loki'd!" Hiccup cried, grinning; Toothless matching his grin.  
Hiccup laughed as Ruffnut picked a fish off her horn, glaring at him. Tuffnut flicked another off his shoulder into the pile of fish they now stood in. Toothless opened his grinning maw, blueish/purple light glowing brighter.  
The twins' eyes widened and ran for it, several small shots chasing after them, Tuffnut yelling, "Bad dragon! Bad dragon!"  
They paused as they turned the corner, coming tooth to foot with the traps that Snotlout set. Toothless continued to shoot at their heels, forcing them to walk through death. Getting through them was nothing short of a dance and the only safe zone nearby was the ladder.  
Tuffnut jumped on it first, followed by Ruffnut, but was shoved off as she hit him—screwing his balance. She sighed and took a careful step down—only to have the rung come loose and send her sprawling on top of Tuffnut. "Look out!"  
Fishlegs popped up with Snotlout and shouted as they laughed, "Loki'd!"  
They proceeded to run to their hut, all the while evading sharp flying things, spitballs of flames, and other hazardous contraptions of a certain Haddock's design—all the while, the various Riders would pop up and shout their catch phrase. Tumbling over each other, both were desperate to get indoors—panting heavily.  
"Safe now." Tuffnut sank into the wooden beam.  
Ruffnut shook her head, fear and sadness in her eyes, "I never thought I'd say this brother, but I think I am ready for Loki Day to end."  
Their hut jerked violently and suddenly. A highly worried look crossed Tuffnut's face, "Uh, we might have to wait on that."  
It shook violently again and Ruffnut hugged the beam tighter, "Whoa. How weird is that? An earthquake on Loki Day."  
Tuffnut looked out their door, "Yeah. To weird. Hey, is it also weird that there are dragons flying in place outside the windows?"  
Her eyes widened and she pushed the door open. Stormfly was there, flying in place, as was Astrid who waved at them. Her eyes traveled down momentarily and she quickly ducked in, "Not is you take into account that we're thousands of feet above the ocean, hanging by a rope attached to Stormfly."  
"This has gone too far!" Tuffnut stomped his foot on the floor. "I'm declaring it official. When dragons and fellow tricksters start Loki'ing other tricksters and Dragon Riders, that's when the whole sys-"  
The hut jerked again, even more viciously this time. Ruffnut peeked out the door again and saw nothing but dark ocean for miles. "I don't think the system's safe."  
Astrid and Stormfly flew by and waved, "Loki'd! Enjoy your new home guys. I hear the neighbors are really quiet." She flew away laughing.  
Tuffnut shook his head, "Evil genius. You've got to admire it."  
"Admire it? I'm straight up jealous of it."  
~O~  
Hiccup was relaxing in the Clubhouse with Snotlout as Astrid and Fishlegs walked in, smirking. "So…how'd it go?"  
Fishlegs answered, "I don't think we'll be hearing from them for a while."  
Astrid sat down and leaned into Stormfly, relaxing and enjoying the peace. "Oh yeah, It'll be a nice, quiet, night."


	9. Looki Who I Found

Writer’s Log Supplemental—9 “Looki Who I Found”

Hiccup shot up, back ridged and fingers splayed as he was abruptly woken up. He looked around his hut with wide eyes, Toothless looking down from the loft—eyes equally as wide. Several large things crashed together, making him cringe with each one until an end explosion finished the cacophony.  
Tiredly, he buried his head in his hands and moaned. He was too tired for this, having been up late the last several nights working on things to help around the Edge or defeat Dagger and the Hunters. Toothless nudged his side and he nodded, “I know, I know. I’ll go deal with it.”  
He wedged his hand between Toothless and his saddle and half walked, half slept walked out. Astrid was landing as he was walking out. She took one look at him before her eyes winded in worry even more, “Odin’s Ghost, Hiccup, did you even sleep last night?”  
“Yes~” The sleepiness was fading, but slowly.  
She was about to retort something when the twins and their Zippleback nearly crash landed next to them. Ruffnut jumped off, “Hiccup, we swear it wasn’t us!”  
“As awesome as that was, I must concur.” Tuffnut nodded.  
“Then what was-?” Hiccup was cut off by an enraged Snotlout jabbing an accusing figure at the twins.  
“You two are so lucky that-that, whatever you did missed my hut!”  
“It wasn’t us!” They cried in unison.  
Snotlout turned to fix Hiccup with a look but one look at his sleep fighting face, which usually meant his temper was under the sour line, made him change his mind. “Then what was that?”  
Hiccup slid onto Toothless, “Let’s go—where’s Fishlegs?”  
Now fully awake, Hiccup looked around and saw his friend running up the catwalks and breathing heavily. Toothless easily leaped over to him.  
Before he could ask, Fishlegs wheezed, “F-forest, huge, people~”  
Astrid looked at him incredulously, “People? Caused that?” She gestured to the path of broken and splintered trees along with several toppled dragon rousts and a storehouse.  
Fishlegs nodded, “A-almost hit me and, Meatlug. Winded her and she’s, she’s at the cliff, resting.”  
Hiccup held out a hand for Fishlegs, which he took gratefully. “Are you sure they’re people?”  
Fishlegs fixed him with a look, “It certainly wasn’t a dragon.”  
“Fair enough.” They took off to find the source of the disturbance and Hiccup got a good look at the damage dealt, “Loki, why the mess?”  
The twins grinned, “This is Loki’ing done to perfection.”  
Hiccup glared, “It’s just plain destruction.”  
“Exactly.” Tuffnut grinned.  
Hiccup smirked, “Well then, you won’t mind helping to clean it up.”  
The both blanched at the idea but didn’t argue as Hiccup gave them the look.  
In seconds they were over the forest, a groove cutting into the earth continued for about a mile. Hiccup signaled the Riders to land before they were too readily seen and quietly trotted the rest of the way. What they saw at the end of the cut out was something that made them all pause.  
It was two men.  
One was tall, blond and smiling jovially while the other was tall black-haired and glaring at the other man as he dusted off and picked pieces of earth and grass out of his clothes. As they got closer they heard the black-haired man speaking, “—land! Honestly, one would think that this was your first time guiding the Bifrost! You almost landed in the village! This was supposed to be a quiet getaway! Not prancing around and getting mobbed by these mortals!”  
Blondie laughed, shaking his whole body, “I missed it-!”  
“Yes, and destroyed some of their buildings.”  
“Oh come now, you know you like their attention.”   
“Quiet, getaway.”  
“Loki,” Blondie sighed, “you are a mystery to figure out. You loved it here last time.”  
“Yes…while I had several books with me!”  
Ruffnut turned to Hiccup and whispered, “He said Loki, right?”  
Hiccup nodded, “Y-yeah…uhhhhuuu~”  
Snotlout gripped his hair, “Oh my Thor, that’s THOR! Thor freakin' Bonecrusher!”  
Both men looked up at Snotlout’s outburst and Hiccup buried his head as Astrid got ready to punch him, “Great goin’ Snotlout.”  
“Swell.” Loki sighed. “We know you’re there, you might as well come down.”  
Thor beamed, “Vikings!”  
Snotlout bounced from foot to foot with excitement and Fishlegs gripped Meatlug’s saddle in fear of fainting. Ruffnut and Tuffnut both grinned so wide their faces were about to fall off.  
Both gods blinked at the sight of the dragons escorting the Vikings, confusing Thor greatly, “Uh, dragons? When did they become friendly?”  
Snotlout grinned like a drunken fanboy and pointed at Thor while looking at Hiccup who was hanging back and keeping tabs on the group, “It Thor!”  
“I am indeed!” However his eyes never left the dragons.  
Loki smiled slightly as Toothless was the first to approach him, sniffing him carefully, before bounding back over to Hiccup grinning.  
Hiccup stepped closer, “Sorry for the spying, we didn’t know if you were some kind of Dragon Hunter trap or wounded dragon or something.”  
Loki glared at Thor while addressing his words to Hiccup, “I don’t blame you.”  
Thor pulled a face, “I said I was sorry, brother. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll help clean it up.”  
“I could care less if you did. What I cared about was solitude where I could read peacefully.”  
“You and your books. Get out and live a little.”  
Loki scowled and mumbled, “And every time I do I lose a little of my life.”  
Snotlout scrunched his face, “Eh, now you sound like Hiccup.”  
“Hey!” Hiccup cried while the twins snickered, “Just because I like reading and peace and quiet sometimes, which never happens, doesn’t mean anything.”  
Loki smirked, understanding, while Snotlout tore his attention from Thor, “And what Viking reads!?”  
“The smart ones.” Astrid retorted before turning to Thor and Loki, “Please pardon the boneheads.”  
Hiccup scratched Toothless’ head, “If you want to be left alone, we can head back to the Edge.”  
Snotlout and the twins groaned while Loki nodded to say “that would be most preferable” when Thor cut him off, “Nonsense! A visit would be most delightful.”  
Loki frowned but Thor continued, “But first, might you tell us how the dragons became friends?”  
All the Riders pointed at Hiccup. Hiccup glanced between his friends and the two gods like a deer in the headlights, mouth moving for a second without sound. “I-I shot down Toothless, a-and then befriended him after I couldn’t kill him. After that we-e killed the dragon Queen that was mind controlling the other d-dragons into raiding the villages.”  
Fishlegs sighed, “It was way more than that.”  
Thor grinned, sensing a grand tale coming, “Then why don’t you tell it over a meal!?”  
“Sounds great!” Snotlout cried, “I’m starved.”  
“Splendid!”  
“Hiccup cooks!” The twins and Fishlegs shouted at once.  
Hiccup’s brow scrunched, “What, why?”  
Tuffnut pointed to him like it was obvious, “You have the best cooking, the best cooking for the gods. Especially for Loki you-”  
“Ruff, Tuff I swear if you finish that sentence Loki Day will have been tame compared to what I will do!”  
Both paled and Tuffnut slapped his hands to his mouth, mumbling, “Shutting up.”  
Loki grinned, “What happened on Loki Day?”  
Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs grinned devilishly as Snotlout snickered, “They got owned by the best prankster-” he looked up at Loki who frowned slightly and he quickly amended, “second best prankster.”  
He nodded, “And who would that be?”  
Ruffnut grinned mischievously and Hiccup growled warningly, “Ruffnut.”  
Loki looked at him with amusement as she sauntered up to him, “Why the one and only Hiccup Haddock himself.”  
Hiccup buried his face in his hands while muttering “kill me.”  
Thor chuckled and ‘lightly’ elbowed Loki, who just frowned and rolled his eyes.

Thor ate and laughed as Fishlegs retold the tale of Hiccup defeating the Queen while Ruff and Tuffnut would throw something in occasionally. Hiccup kept close to Toothless, having moved after Thor slapped him on the back for shooting down Toothless—his back still stung, head down as he cheeks blushed violently. Tuffnut was jovially telling them about Hiccup’s plans to Loki the Queen. He risked a peek up and saw Loki smirk at him.  
After they were done he stood and patted Toothless on his head, “I’m turning in.” He looked between Thor and Loki, “Uh, did you want to stay here tonight or…?”  
“That would be splendid!”  
“Alright, we don’t have a guest hut yet so-”  
Snotlout cut him off, “You can stay at my hut! I’ll bunk with the twins.”  
Thor nodded, “Thank you Snot-lout.”  
They walked out and Thor followed Snotlout to his hut while the others dispersed.  
Toothless silently followed his rider who was deep in thought, still trying to fully process what was happening. It finally made the connection that the Loki was staying here at the Edge, even if for a night. He turned to Toothless and grinned, which Toothless returned—happy that his rider was finally smiling. “This is crazy bud.”  
“What is crazy?”  
Hiccup jumped with a yelp, basically landing on Toothless’ back, at the unfamiliar voice. Once his heart slowed enough to see straight Hiccup saw the god of tricks and mischief leaning casually against the clubhouse wall, looking at him expectantly.  
“Ah-All of this, meeting you especially.”  
Loki smirked and walked up next to him, “Why did you decide to follow me? From what the others have said, your tribe follows my brother—what a surprise.”  
Hiccup hid a smile by ducking his head, “I’m, was a runt. And I was forever getting into trouble for using my head. When I realized the twins were blowing up the village and not getting into horrendous trouble for it, I decided it was the best decision to make. Never regretted it once.”  
“At least someone saw sense.”  
Hiccup caught his mouth twitching into a small smile. “Uh…what are you doing here? Here as in now, tonight, I know why you’re here on the island.”  
Loki full on smirked as he looked at Hiccup, still on Toothless, “Have you ever heard a Thunderdrum’s roar?”  
Hiccup subconsciously rubbed an ear, “Yea-yeah, I have.”  
“Imagine sleeping with one roaring all night.”  
Hiccup cringed, “Ok, yeah.” He shook his head, “Eh—in that case you can have my hut, I can stay with Toothless.”  
Loki looked at him questioningly, “What about the twins? Are they not your brother and sister in me?”  
“Ever slept with a Changewing?” Loki laughed, “Friends they may be, but I still keep an eye open.”  
They arrived at Hiccup’s hut, both red from laughter. Hiccup pointed to the loft, “Bed’s up there, sleep well.”  
Loki paused by a wall which held his shield and Dragon-Fly, “You made these?”  
Hiccup nodded, “Yeah, some of my less destructive ideas…though Astrid might argue otherwise.”  
Loki’s eyes widened ever so slightly, “She is a fiery young Valkyrie.”  
Hiccup nodded vigorously, “That she is, sleep well.”  
“Hiccup.”  
“Yeah?” He turned to see Loki gesturing to other contraptions lying on the floor or hanging on the walls.  
“Care to tell me more about some of these?”  
Hiccup blinked before walking back in, “s-Sure.” He gestured to the wall solely for Toothless’ tails, “Those are different tails for Toothless, they help with different speeds or level of control~”  
They talked for another half hour about the things that filled his room before Loki asked, “How are the twins?”  
Hiccup stopped, “What?”  
“How do they represent me?”  
Hiccup fought the urge to rub his head but did take in a deep breath, “They make sure your name is feared by everyone…You’re probably their first thought most days, I swear they dream about what they’re going to do next.”  
“And you?”  
“Uh…” Hiccup shrugged, “I don’t go around pranking as often as they do—or probably as often as you do. Most the time I just go after those who really deserve it.”  
“So pranking two of my followers on my day?”  
Hiccup looked torn between looking fearful and not caring, he went with the latter, “They really deserved it after the stunt they pulled a few months back.”  
“All is fair on my day, tell me, what plan did you concoct that made them so fearful?”  
Hiccup smirked and spent the next two hours describing every little detail of their humiliation, Loki often chiming in to offer a compliment or subtle change that would have made it even better.  
Toothless lay sleeping with Hiccup using him as a back pillow while Loki sat in the chair, neither showed any signs of drowsiness. Both became quiet for a bit before a devilish smirk worked its way onto Loki’s face, “How would you like to help me with a little trick for Thor?”  
Hiccup’s face was unreadable for a moment before it morphed into one of worry, “I-I don’t know, I pretty sure he could curse me for the rest of my existence…and I really don’t need any more bad luck.”  
Loki shook his head, “He’d do no such thing, especially not to my favorite.”  
Hiccup’s head snapped up, mind whirling, his, what?!  
 


	10. “A Trickster’s Gonna Do, What a Trickster’s Gonna Do.”

Writer’s Log Supplemental—10 “A Trickster’s Gonna Do, What a Trickster’s Gonna Do.”

Hiccup’s mind spun to grasp what Loki had said and what they were now doing. He’d been so shock by the blatant revelation that he’d simply nodded dumbly. Now they were sneaking down to Snotlout’s hut and his mind was finally returning to him, “Oh my gods.” He muttered quietly.  
Toothless chuckled and he glared, “Oh shut up.” His face paled, “Oh my Loki, the twins were right…they were right.”  
Now the twins being right wasn’t all that shocking, at least to Hiccup. Ruffnut was really a conniving genius when she wanted to be and, while Tuffnut wasn’t the brightest bulb, he had his moments of brightness. But never on something of this scale. No. The only explanation for this could be that since they were Loki’s original followers on Berk they had some ability given by Loki himself to detect such things.  
Loki smirked as he saw Hiccup finally understanding. He was more amused than annoyed, as he usually would have been, at Hiccup’s slowness. The dragon chortled again and he laughed quietly, dragons were so blatant.  
Toothless looked at him questioningly and he nodded, “Yes, I understood.”  
Hiccup blinked, looking between Toothless and Loki, and his shoulders curled in slightly. “I don’t wanna know.”  
Loki grinned, “It was nothing insulting.”  
Hiccup glared at Toothless flatly who just huffed, “Yeah, now I know you’re lying.”  
The smirk never left Loki’s face as they entered Snotlout’s hut.  
Toothless waited outside while Hiccup quietly followed behind Loki. Two steps into the hut and his false leg gave a squeak, making them pause and Hiccup mouth ‘sorry.’  
Loki glanced between Hiccup and his leg before whispering something so quiet he couldn’t make out the words. Looking back up to Hiccup and said in a low voice, “He does not wake easily, do not fret.”  
They hurried up to the loft, Hiccup’s leg not squeaking again, and found the god of thunder sprawled out on the too small bed—calves and feet dangling off. His chest rose and fell while his heavy breath shook their bones. He turned to Loki with a look of understanding, “My hut will always be open.”  
Loki grinned and moved to Thor’s head while Hiccup worked on his own part. Small satchel in one hand he bent down to drop it in Thor’s boot—Loki had told him how it worked but it was still something he needed to see for himself to truly believe. When he stood back up he saw that Thor now had purple tipped hair with green highlights running through, it was also styled and pinned magically so it would appear to be shorter than it actually was.  
Hiccup had to shove a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing but still his body shook. They were about to leave when Hiccup saw Snotlout’s spare helmet. He waved for Loki to go ahead and leave but the Trickster was too interested to see what Hiccup would do.  
Helmet in one hand, Hiccup looked around for supplies—grinning when he found what he was looking for. Five minutes later, the helmet was hidden on a rafter for added fun and they left.  
Both men were grinning, neither bothering to even try to hide their smirks and proud looks. They were about to enter Hiccup’s hut when Loki asked, “What did you put into his helmet?”  
Hiccup grinned, “Ah~ just an imitation of his worst fear.”  
“Oh, well then I suppose you’ll need this.” He handed Hiccup Snotlout’s helmet, “I do want to witness his reaction.”  
Hiccup grinned, “I’ll go hide this in the stables…good night Loki.”  
Loki put a hand on his shoulder, “You do not need to sleep in the stables just because of me, there is plenty of room for us both.”  
Hiccup paused for a moment before nodding, “Thanks.”  
Toothless curled up next to the dying fire and promptly fell asleep, with Hiccup tightly tucked between his paws.

The Gang arrived as one to the Clubhouse, surprised to find both Loki and Hiccup already there eating, Toothless happily curled around them both napping. Snotlout was the first to voice his concerns, “Alright, I know one of you, if not both of you are to blame for my missing helmet.”  
Astrid snickered, “Again?”  
He just glared, opening his mouth to retort when a thunderous booming voice cut him off, “LOKI!”  
Said Trickster turned to Hiccup, “I believe my Chosen had promised me a nice aerial tour of the Edge.”  
Hiccup nodded quickly, “Yes I did!” He quickly said to the group as he, Loki and Toothless hurried out of the Clubhouse, “Eat anything you want—no practice today.”  
And just as fast, they were gone from sight—an ever distancing whistle of Toothless leaving them behind. They watched them leave with looks of profound dumbness, though all for different reasons. Tuffnut was the first to find his voice, “Did, Loki-”  
“He did.” Ruffnut nodded, “He confirmed our suspicions.”  
Tuffnut pouted, “Aww! Why didn’t Hiccup tell us! He should have told us!”  
Something landed on the Clubhouse’s deck—shaking the hut. They turned to see Thor, red in anger and…and— The first thing that caught their attention were his pants and boots, they were a bright, solid, cerean blue and crunched like ice every time he moved. The second thing they noticed was Thor’s incredibly short and uneven hair, colored at the ends.  
The twins looked highly amused while the other stood in pure horror, Astrid’s mind working overtime. “Did anyone see where Loki went last night after we left for bed?”  
Fishlegs answered quietly, as if he was afraid to speak in Thor’s now angry presence, “I-I saw him trailing Hiccup…”  
The twins grinned and giggled, “Oh sweet Loki yes! This, this is so much more beautiful than a dream! This-”  
“What are you two talking about!?” Snotlout fumed, Thor’s glare on them as well.  
Both stood erect and proper as they began to explain, Ruffnut starting, “What we mean, small minded Snotlout, is that Hiccup’s potential has now been fully realized.”  
Tuffnut continued, “Now that we have confirmation that Hiccup is indeed Loki’s chosen, he has now taken him under his wing and is teaching him the finest ways of the Tricksters. If only I could have this honor!”  
“Yeah,” Ruffnut crossed her arms, “I’m actually really jealous that they left us out.”  
Tuffnut nodded before Thor cut in, “Just point me in the direction of my brother, and I shall leave his body for you to find.” He kept bending his knees and ankles and hitting the ice with Mjolnir to break it off, but it would only grow right back due to the magic.  
Astrid looked out of the Clubhouse and sighed, “They’re long gone by this point.”  
Thor glared out at the ocean and frowned at them before turning to the food left on the table.  
Snotlout growled, “I swear if Hiccup makes us loose Thor’s favor because of that stupid prank with Loki-!”  
Tuffnut beamed, “Then we shall have Loki’s favor!”  
“Not helping!” Snotlout hissed.  
Fishlegs whined as he looked at the food, a healthy heap of which was already on Thor’s plate.  
“What is it Fishlegs?” Astrid asked, temper and patience borderline fowling.  
“Do you think they did anything with the food?”  
Thor stopped moving the chicken to his mouth, eyes suddenly worried, “What do you mean husky one?”  
Ruffnut explained the problem without hesitation, “Well, you see, on Loki Day Hiccup made this incredible meal-”  
“Absolutely divine-” Tuffnut butted in.  
“But he put Gia Berries and watered down the milk…”  
Snotlout shivered, “Awful.”  
“Anyway,” Ruffnut continued, “we just have a healthy level of~”  
“Worry?” Tuffnut supplied.  
They all nodded their heads, “Yeah.”  
Thor looked down at his food, very contemplatively, frowning before looking back up at them with an amused and somehow not amused look, “Your Hiccup seems to be too much like my brother…too many mind games.”

A Terrible Terror crawled around Loki’s arm before resting on his shoulder, a hot sigh of pleasure escaping before it drifting off to sleep. He smiled as he scratched under the creature’s chin. Toothless lay guarding a couple of fish from a daredevil while another Terror slept in Hiccup’s lap.  
“How long does the spell last?”  
“Only two hours sadly. This is a beautiful spot.”  
Hiccup looked around at the small lake/river before it fell over the cliff side while a smaller ledge rose behind him, most of the small clearing/ledge was hidden by overhanging tree branches. “Yeah, Toothless and I found it while we were hiding from Astrid.”  
Loki looked at him curiously, “Oh? What did you do?”  
Hiccup looked down, like he was still scared to even bring it up without her being present, “S-she got caught in something, that wasn’t meant for her…actually, it was still a prototype for the twins.”  
A snort was his answer, “A wise decision.”  
Hiccup nodded, “How long are you going to be here, on Midgard?”  
Loki shrugged, “Not for long I’d imagine, Thor and I sort of hijacked the Bifrost to escape repercussions from Hogun and Volstagg after I managed to convince Thor to help me in a little prank—which also, accidentally, caught Lady Sif in the fallout.”  
Hiccup cringed and nodded.  
Suddenly a shriek, slightly girlish, rang out across the island. “SPIDER! GIANT FREAKING SPIDER!”  
Hiccup toothlessly grinned and scratched Toothless’ chin.  
A second later the yell followed, “HICCUP! HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK the THRID! I’m going to latterly KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME!?”  
“Revenge is sweat isn’t it Snotlout?”  
Loki looked at him quizzically but not accusingly.  
He shrugged, “He tormented me all the time when we were kids until I decided to follow you. I think he stopped then because the twins threatened him.”  
“As well they should. We few must stick together, at least in the majority of things.” He paused before asking, “Just what did you do?”  
“Made a large looking spider in his helmet, pretty lifelike too, or at least I thought so…so did Snotlout I think—at least it feels lifelike.”  
Loki looked surprised, “You touched a spider? Why on Asgard? A serpent I can understand, but a spider?”  
“It was accidental.” Hiccup’s face scrunched at the bad memory, “I was getting something from the storage closet and grabbed it instead.” He couldn’t hold back the shudder, “Uhl-g! It was huge, like half the size of my palm…well that was when I was younger—so probably about a fourth or a third of the size of my palm now.” He shrugged, “Anyway, when I screamed my dad, Spitelout and Snotlout came running—when I told them about it I think Snotlout was paler than I was.”  
Loki laughed, “Seems very appropriate then.”  
Hiccup grinned at the praise.

The twins were broadly sitting in the Clubhouse, having searched the entire island for either Loki or Hiccup. Thor walked in with Fishlegs to his left and Snotlout to his right, all three either laughing or smiling as he told a story of his conquests. Tuffnut moaned sorrowfully and rolled his head over, Ruffnut just glaring at the long dead ashes of the fire.  
Thor frowned at the pair, “What is wrong?”  
“We can’t find either Loki or Hiccup.” Tuffnut answered sadly.  
Thor didn’t seem to understand their gist, “Fret not, I’m sure that they’ll be back soon. But while they are gone, I can regale various stories or we can even spar!”  
“Really?” Snotlout asked with starry eyes.  
“Eh.” Ruffnut shrugged.  
“Whatever.” Tuffnut stood, “What do you want me to do?”  
Thor shook his head, “If you do not wish too there is no need too.”  
“Neh.” Tuffnut walked out, looking more dejected than humanly possible, “Cum’on sis, maybe we’ll blow up Snotlout’s hut or something.”  
They trio watched the duo leave and Snotlout turned to Fishlegs, “They look so upset that I’m not sure I want to stop them.”  
Fishlegs answered with a blankly shocked face, “I don’t think they’ll have the energy to even try.”

Hiccup walked beside Toothless and Loki on the far side of him. They walked in companionable silence, Hiccup thinking about ways to better the Dragon Fly, when the twins and their dragon practically fell in front of them. Tuffnut looked relieved while Ruffnut looked ticked, Tuffnut speaking first, “Guys, Dragon Hunters!”  
Hiccup started, “Wha-”  
But Ruffnut cut him off, “And it was very uncool of you two just ditching us.”  
A heated glare fixed itself Tuffnut’s face, “Yes, extremely uncool.”  
Hiccup shrunk a bit, “Oh Loki, I’m so sorry guys.”  
Ruffnut held up a finger, “Well talk about it later mister. But right now, Dragon Hunters?”  
Hiccup’s eyes widened, “Where?”  
“At the west beach.”  
“How many were there?”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “We didn’t stay to count.”  
Hiccup frowned, “Alright,” he swung himself onto Toothless and held a hand out for Loki, “We’ll scout it out a get an estimate on their numbers…maybe they just a scouting party.”  
“So we’re not getting Thor and the others?” Tuffnut asked.  
“Not this very second, no.”  
“Sweet!” Tuffnut cheered.  
Hiccup shook his head, “We’re only doing a bit of scouting so no noise. And Valhalla forbid, no Loki’ing until we have back up.”  
Tuffnut looked hurt, “You wound me.”  
“I know you.”  
The dragons made quick work of getting to the beach and finding cover in the tree line. Hiccup frowned, mouth becoming a thin line, “Great, at least two ships and several dozen on the shore already.”  
“What’s the plan H? Go in there, dragons blazing?” Tuffnut asked.  
“No! No, we go back and get the others-”  
“Come on!” Tuffnut whined while Ruffnut sighed, “We got it covered, right Loki?”  
Loki glanced back at the Hunters, “What are our odds?”  
Hiccup patted Toothless’ head, “With this group, plausible. But if you’re hit by one of those arrows, you’re done—especially the dragons.”  
Loki looked at Toothless and Barf and Belch, “Are they that weak?”  
“No!” Hiccup cried as loudly as he dared, “But their arrows are coated in Dragon Root…it might even be able to take you down, I’m not sure.”  
Loki frowned, “Reinforcements it is.”  
Hiccup nodded and turned to the twins, “You two go to the Clubhouse and grab anyone who’s there, we’ll get anyone at-”  
Ruffnut cried “Look out!” just as she tackled Hiccup. An arrow sunk into the tree where he’d been standing not a moment before. They looked back to see four advancing Hunters, one hanging back and nocking another arrow.  
“Toothless!” Hiccup fisted his hand in the Hunters direction and a plasma blast exploded in the midst of them. “SKY!”  
Loki was already on Toothless and reaching a hand out for Hiccup when he retracted it suddenly and disappeared—a bola harmlessly flying through the spot he once held. He reappeared not a second later behind Hiccup and Ruffnut, magically shielding them from another on slot of arrows.  
Hiccup pulled his shield from Toothless’ saddle and grabbed the arrow from the tree, fitting it into the shield’s crossbow slot—then firing it at the archer hidden in the trees. The man yelp in surprise but then fired an arrow back at Hiccup.  
Tuffnut, Barf and Belch laid down a fog of green gas before igniting it and scattering the present Hunters…only to call all the ones on the beach to them. Tuffnut pointed into the trees a bit more, “Hey look! Some, still intact, hollow Scare Ships!”  
Ruffnut beamed “Yes!” and ran towards that area, shouting at a few of the Hunters about their mothers.  
Hiccup started to call her back when he realized their plan. Ruffnut ran past the partially hidden Scare Ships and the Hunters followed. Once they were well within the blast rang he ordered, “Toothless, plasma blast those dummies!”  
The Hunters flew back as the gas ignited and most didn’t move again.  
Ruffnut circled back around, grinning, and Hiccup motioned her behind him, “We have to get you back to Tuffnut.”  
She nodded and they started running in his direction. Arrows flew at them and Hiccup ducked behind his shield while Ruffnut ducked into him. Ruffnut suddenly yell and grabbed Hiccup, “Where’s your knife!?”  
“What?!” He risked a glance behind him and saw a large Hunter charging them from their unprotected side while he was still shielding them from the now nonstop hurling of arrows. His eyes widened but said, “You know I don’t carry it with me usually! Where’s yours?!”  
“Well you should!” Ruffnut yelled as she grabbed for the broken arrow on the ground and held up the feeble weapon with a look of distain, “Tuffnut has it.”  
Hiccup kneeled, still huddled behind the shield—he could hear their shouts about his location ringing through the forest. He started to reach for his false leg when the charging Hunter suddenly stopped and fell dead—a silver and gold tinted dagger sticking out of his back.  
Loki walked up to the man and pulled the dagger out, whipping it on the fallen Hunter’s clothes. “Do not attack my followers.”  
Tuffnut whooped as he shot another Hunter, also hearing what Loki said. Ruffnut ran to her brother and mounted, Hiccup still fighting to get back to Toothless who had to move to dodge all the arrows.  
Loki stood at his back as they fought. Hiccup shot a bola out of his shield and tripped a Hunter while he used the edge of his shield as a weapon. They were doing quite well for several minutes but began to be slowly over run by the Hunters.  
Toothless fought next to Barf and Belch, using his talons, tail and teeth as his shots were used up—as were Barf and Belches. Sweat began to poor thickly down Hiccup’s brow and back as the battle continued. He’d just downed another Hunter when Loki shoved him hard from the side of his head and shoulder. He fell with a grunt of pain as he landed awkwardly on him wrist and turned to Loki.  
The dagger had fallen from his left hand while his right clamped down on his left forearm, near the inner elbow, where an arrow protruded. His eyes widened but he didn’t have time to react otherwise as Loki ripped the arrow out and glared at the Hunter. His eyes darkened while his magic surrounded him, green, venomous and angry. The arrow meant for Hiccup wasn’t just to incapacitate him, it was meant to kill him—had he not shoved Hiccup out of the way, it would have impaled itself in his skull.  
A foolishly brave, or stupid, Hunter charged him and he blocked the strike before jamming another dagger into his gut. The archer cried out and fell as he stepped out from behind him and the Loki in front of Hiccup vanished.  
He stared at Loki wide eyed before a crack of a branch snapped him back. A Hunter, who was creeping up behind up, suddenly ran at him. Hiccup spared a nanosecond to glance at his shield which was too far away and so dove for the next best thing… The knife that Loki had dropped. He grabbed it and rolled right as a foot came down where he had been.  
The Hunter’s blade sliced the earth next to him as he rolled to a kneeling position to run. A hand reached out and clamped onto Hiccup’s arm, yanking him back to the Hunter. He clutched the dagger tightly and jammed it into his attacker’s thigh. The man let out a howl of pain but didn’t release him, only tighten his grip on the boy as he fought the pain.  
Air was suddenly crushed out of his lungs and Hiccup yelled in terror, “TOOTHLESS!”  
Toothless and Loki both snapped their heads around to Hiccup who was struggling in the Hunter’s arms, most of the struggling being in his left leg as he repetitively struck him in the calf with its metal points. The Hunter hissed in pain but brought up Loki’s knife and held it dangerously close to Hiccup’s right shoulder—ceasing his struggles as the point drove in some.  
Loki growled, low and threatening, “Release him.”  
The Hunter started backing up, as well as the others still standing, “We’ll be on our way.”  
Ruff and Tuffnut watched as Loki pulled a knife out of the clothing on his back, which looked impossible, “You will release him now, or none of you will leave here alive.”  
One of the Hunters scoffed but everyone could tell it was forced, given the amount of destruction this man had already brought. “And just who are you to demand that? We could take you down with as much ease as Hiccup here.”  
Loki smirked, “It didn’t look that easy to me to take him.”  
Hiccup was inwardly grinning at his words but was outwardly trying to control his quick breaths and pull down the hand with the dagger, to no success.  
The man stepped back and Toothless growled, eyes narrowed and pupils thin slits, the back of his maw bluish/purple even though he had no shots left.  
The Hunter scowled and hitched Hiccup closer to him, “Well you both look like runts to me.”  
Faster than humanly possible, Loki threw his dagger, hitting the butt of the one the Hunter held. It stabbed the ground with a harmless ‘thunk’. Hiccup felt the hands rip off of him and a wall of green energy surround him as the Hunter was thrown back, the next instant Loki stood in front of him—one hand holding his shoulder protectively while his right held another dagger.  
“I am Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard and god of Mischief.” His voice was clean, clear and sharp, the silver tongue holding nothing back. He strode over to the one that had held Hiccup, throwing the dagger by his head—slicing part of his ear as he hissed, “And if you ever come near my chosen again, I will see to it personally that your life is short.”  
The man nodded, all the Hunters stood in equal awe and, more importantly, utter fear—for there could be no other explanation for what they saw.  
Hiccup walked up to Loki as the men fled. He was silent for a moment before he caught sight of the bloody green cloth on Loki’s arm, his eyes widened and carefully grabbed his forearm, “Is this from the arrow?”  
Loki looked at the wound, lips curled, “Yes.”  
Hiccup turned to Toothless and grabbed the saddle bag, he always carried some emergency bandages but Loki stopped him, “Don’t bother.” He muttered a few words and the wound began to heal, “It is quite minor, for an Asgardian anyway.”  
“I’m so sorry, that happened because of-”  
Loki stopped him, “It wasn’t your fault, but do they come here often?”  
“Uh~”  
Tuffnut leaned on Belch’s head while Ruffnut gripped Barf’s horns, “More so, yah. They’ve been picking up the pace recently.” She turned to her brother, “That’s the how many times in the past three months?”  
Tuffnut held up a hand and began counting, “Well, there was the time when Ryker kidnapped Stormfly and Astrid, then the rest of us-”  
“That was five months ago.” Ruffnut corrected.  
“Oh yeah, well then there was the time when Johann got attacked by wild dragons and you left us with Astrid-”  
“And the island got invaded.”  
“And then there was-”  
“Alright!” Hiccup yelled, putting his hands up to silence them, “Thank you very much.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Not a problem.”  
Loki sighed and shook his head, “You have a knack for finding trouble them.”  
Hiccup frowned, “It finds me.”  
“True that.” Ruffnut laughed.  
Hiccup rolled his eyes and mounted Toothless with a hiss, “Come on, let’s just get back.”  
Loki frowned at Hiccup’s cradled wrist, “Is it injured?”  
Hiccup looked down at it and reddened slightly, “Uh, just a little, from when I fell on it.”  
Loki grabbed and whispered a few words, instantly the swelling went down and the pain lessened, “My apologies.”  
He stared at his hand in fascination, “T-thank you.”  
Tuffnut snickered, “Astrid’s gonna kill you.”  
Hiccup looked indignant, “I-ehp, uth! This wasn’t my fault!”  
Ruffnut gripped Barf’s horn knowingly, “Yeah…but you still fought them instead of going to go get help.”  
“Come on! I was going to! We were literally about to leave!” The twins chuckled mischievously and Hiccup glared, “Do not tell Astrid, or anyone else.”  
They were about to protest but caught the look on Loki’s face and nodded quickly.  
Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief when they landed back in the Edge, not far from Hiccup’s hut. “Ok. So I’m going to get Toothless some fish then-”  
“HICCUP!”  
He stopped and cringed at the female’s furious voice, shrinking down to make himself smaller. “Astrid! Hey, hi Astrid. Hi.”  
“Where were you?! You’ve been gone all day and didn’t tell anyone, even me!”  
“We-uh-got side tracked with some, things.”  
Astrid glared at him, not believing a word he said while Loki sighed deeply and looked up. “By my father’s beard Hiccup, you are an awful liar.”  
The twins nodded, “Yeah, we’ve been trying to work with him…it hasn’t helped.”  
Hiccup opened his mouth to retort when the undeniable yell of Thor silenced everything. “LOKI! Where have you been? You and the boy simply vanished and—” he stopped to stare at Loki’s arm, “Brother, what happened?”  
“Nothing much, just a small scuffle.”  
The lie fell with ease but Thor believe none of it, “Brother” he growled lowly.  
Loki rolled his eyes while his silver tongue worked its magic, “It is but a scrape, Thor. Nothing, happened.”  
Astrid suddenly shoved her axe up in both his and Hiccup’s face, “Cut through the yak dung and tell me what, happened before I gut you both!”  
Tuffnut groaned, “Fine! We were attacked by Dragon Hunters and Loki took an arrow for Hiccup. Happy?”  
Ruffnut slugged him and both Hiccup and Loki gave him a ‘really?’ face.  
“You, were, what?! Why didn’t you come and get us!”  
Hiccup pushed the axe down, “We were going to but they jumped us right as we were about to take off.”  
Astrid’s demeanor suddenly changed, “Wait, he took an arrow for you?!” And like that, she and Fishlegs were looking him over and checking for any wounds.  
Hiccup pushed them back, “Honestly, I’m ok. Loki was the only one who got hurt.”  
Astrid turned to him and nodded, “Thank you, for saving his sorry butt.” She jabbed a thumb at him.  
Thor grinned and grabbed Loki by the shoulders, “Come! It is time for the evening meal, you can tell us what happened over that.” Turning to Snotlout he said quietly, or quietly for Thor, “My little brother is finally growing up and seeking out his own battles!”  
Loki turned to him and glared vehemently but turned back to Hiccup to continue a discussion.  
Snotlout snickered, “Yeah, I never thought Hiccup would do that. He’s always so-”  
“Get help?”  
“No.” Loki growled automatically, “We are not doing that.”  
Snotlout blinked and Thor chuckled, “I was not suggesting it.”  
Hiccup blinked between Thor and Loki then shook his head, “I’m not sure I want to know what that is, but it sounds painful for some reason.”  
“It can be…and utterly humiliating.”  
Hiccup nodded with a hum.

Hiccup sat in the Clubhouse with Loki, showing him a new design for the Dragon Fly and asking for any outside advice—the twins just sitting next to them to enjoy Loki’s presence—while Thor told more stories to Fishlegs and Snotlout. Astrid sat near Ruffnut and they talked, somewhat about why Loki and Thor were here to begin with.  
Suddenly the sky lit up outside and Loki frowned while Thor ran for the door. “FRIENDS!”  
Loki ducked his head and motioned for Hiccup to get onto Toothless until a woman’s stern voice stopped him, “Hold it Loki Odinson!”  
He turned with a pleasant smile gracing his lips, only the closet of those to him would know it was forced, “Lady Sif, what a welcome surprise.”  
“Spare your silver tongue Loki. We’ve come to get you, so vacation’s over.”  
Loki’s smile dropped instantly into a frown that was almost a pout.  
Astrid stared in disbelieving awe at the woman standing in front of her. Ruffnut smirked and leaned over, “You might want to close your mouth, you’re about to drool.”  
Astrid punched her in the arm, earning an indigent yelp.  
Thor grinned and opened his arms, “Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral! Welcome!”  
Volstagg gave a mock glare at Thor, “Run off while you leave us to deal with Sif?”  
“My apologies, it was unfair.”  
“Loki you son of a-”  
Loki cut her off, “There are children present!”  
She glanced at them, “They aren’t children you-!”  
He gestured to Astrid, “Lady Sif, this is Astrid, a Shield Maiden from Berk.”  
Sif glared at Loki, “This will be continued.”  
Loki whispered so only Hiccup could hear, “Not if I can avoid it.”  
Hiccup smirked at him and watched as his friends met the gods, Thor joyously introducing them all.  
Before the hour was up Sif turned to Loki and Thor, “We must go, Odin awaits us.”  
Thor’s smile fell somewhat but nodded, “Aye.”  
Loki seemed the most hesitant to leave, lingering by Hiccup’s side until all the Asgardians and Berkians were out the door. He sighed and followed Hiccup and Toothless out. He mounted behind Hiccup and they flew down to the spot where they first landed.  
Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three already stood waiting for him. He and Hiccup dismounted but Hiccup stayed by Toothless’ side. As he was passing he pressed something wrapped in a green and gold cloth to Hiccup and smiled, “Try and stay safe, and do not let this leave your side. Ever.”  
A lopsided grin graced him, “I can’t make that promise.”  
He waved and Loki nodded before they disappeared in a blur of colors, scorching the ground with Nordic and Asgardian marks.  
Snotlout breathed, “Whoa.”  
“That, was, awesome!” Tuffnut cried.  
Astrid walked over to him and gestured to the cloth, “What’s that?”  
Hiccup’s head snapped up as his eyes refocused, “Uh, don’ know.”  
Fishlegs squealed, his hands balled close to him in excitement, “Well open it!”  
Ruffnut was looming over his shoulder as he slowly pealed the top fold of the fabric off, “Hiccup I swear if don’t open your gift from Loki immediately I’ll probably hurt you!”  
Hiccup grinned and quickly unwrapped the fabric to reveal the gift. It was a knife. A silver and gold rimmed dagger. Tuffnut sucked in a gasp of air, “No way, Loki’s dagger! How lucky are you!?”  
Hiccup stared at it with wide eyes and the barest of smiles, still too shock of actually having it.  
Ruffnut squeezed his shoulders and grinned like a maniac, “Now there’s no denying who you are! Look, his name’s on it!”  
Hiccup turned it over in his hand, feeling the perfect grip, and Astrid beamed, “Hiccup, your name’s on it too.”  
He began placing it on his palm before moving it to his arm and yet still moving it around.  
Fishlegs raised an eyebrow, “Hiccup, what are you doing?”  
He grinned at Fishlegs, “Well I gotta have a sheath to put it in.”  
“No!”  
They all turned to Snotlout who stood there with a torn expression and gripping his hair.  
Astrid rolled her eyes, annoyed at the numerous possibilities that his outburst could be about, “What is it, Snotlout?”  
“I forgot to tell Thor and Loki about the time when Fishlegs though he was Thor and thought Hiccup was Loki! Oh man, he would’ve loved it!”  
Both Hiccup and Fishlegs sighed in relief, Hiccup adding under his breath, “Thank Loki you didn’t, I don’t need any more embarrassment from that situation.”  
“Oh yeah, a reeaaal loss there.” Fishlegs added, looking up to evade eye contact.  
Hiccup started walking away and he heard Snotlout argue, “Come on, it would’ve been great!”  
“Uh-hu,” Astrid snorted, “and we would also tell them who convinced Fishlegs to act like Thor?”  
“Pff! Minor detail!”  
Hiccup chuckled as their voices faded away, leaving himself alone with Toothless and the dagger.


	11. Chapter 11

Writer’s Log Supplemental—11 “Maces and Talons”

Two lone lantern hung in a tent, giving the only light. From the inside of the tent the outside world would appear dark but it was in fact midday. The front flap of the tent was thrown open and a Hunter stepped in and gave a little salute, “Viggo, sir.”  
Viggo looked up from some papers and a map, regarding the man as little more than a nuisance to his current work. “Yes?”  
“I’m here to deliver a message.”  
Viggo set down the quill, the man having his full attention—assuming the message was from his brother. “Proceed.”  
The man shook and turned a bit white, “Ryker sent us on a mission to take the lead Rider known as Hiccup for-”  
Viggo cut him off, “I can figure what for, get on to the message from my brother.”  
“It wasn’t from Ryker, sir.”  
His brow dipped, “So, Hiccup, then when you failed to take him.”  
“Not Hiccup, sir…from Loki.”  
Viggo’s thought process stalled, “So what? There are many people to be named or nicknamed Loki.” He returned to his planning and maps, “I could name a few myself.”  
The man was visibly shaking now. “Sir. We all saw what this man could do, no human could attempt such feats. It could only have been Loki Odinson as he said.”  
Viggo stopped and looked back up, an eyebrow raised, “If he is the so called god of Mischief, what was his message?”  
“He warned that if we came near his chosen again, he’d make our lives short—personally.” The man recited.  
“Chosen?” Viggo chuckled, “That’s a first. Tell me, why do you believe a word this man says.”  
The Hunter played with his thumbs in his nervousness, “Past what I already said? You would have to have seen him for yourself. The man was not from here, looked nothing like us. And his tricks, all of us spent our trip back thinking about what he could’ve used to make such illusions-”  
“Illusions?”  
He nodded, “In the battle, we all saw him and then there would be two before only one again. He also shielded the boy with nothing that the eye could see. I watched as arrows flew at him and bounced off of nothing but air.”  
“Hmm…” Viggo held his chin, thinking. He believed that the gods existed and that they would even come to Midgard occasionally—certainly not in any recent time that he heard of. But this, if it is true, could be something unprecedented. “You will take your crew to the far south and work the trapping there.”  
“Sir?”  
Viggo looked him in the eye, “If this Loki is the real Loki then we can’t have his wrath brought upon us because of you.”  
The Hunter’s eyes widened and he nodded, “Of course sir. We’ll be ready to leave once our ship has been restocked.”  
“Good.”  
The man left and Vigo returned to his thoughts. He stood and grabbed a book, flipping through the pages before finding a spot and reading. His smile grew and he shut it. “We shall see if this claim is true soon enough, Hiccup.”

Hiccup sat at his desk, going over some battle plans, only looking up from his work from a knock at his door. He looked up to see Ruffnut leaning against it, “Evening Ruffnut.”  
“Eh,” she walked in and looked at the plans, “having fun?”  
He chuckled, “I suppose…there are other things I’d rather do. You?”  
“Bored, and annoyed.”  
Hiccup grinned, “Yeah, I thought so.”  
She leaned her back against the wall and huffed, “Its Tuffnut, and Snotlout. They just ran off and left me. Tuffnut left me! And Astrid’s starting to drive me insane with all her training. Honestly, doesn’t she do anything else?”  
Hiccup grinned and turned his eyes back to the plans, “Not like we do Ruff. Her skillset lie elsewhere.”  
“Pff, I could have told you that…hey, wanna prank Snotlout?”  
Hiccup looked up at her sadly, “I wish, but I’ve got to study these tactics that the Hunters have been using recently.”  
Ruffnut sighed sadly before glancing at Loki’s dagger, “Have you practiced with it recently?”  
He shook his head, “No, I need to though.”  
Ruffnut lightly punched his arm, “Well let me know when you’re done with those tactics and I’ll play target.”  
Hiccup laughed and hung his head, “Will do Ruff. Honestly I’m surprised you’re not offering Tuff up as target while you hurl spears at him.”  
Ruffnut grinned evilly, “Now that’s an idea.”  
Hiccup returned the grin before looking up thoughtfully, “You know, if you want to try and get at Snotlout, you could always fly Hookfang. He’s pretty easy going when it comes to getting at Snotlout.”  
Ruffnut smiled and rubbed her hands together, “Oh, and I know where they’re at too.”  
Hiccup laughed, “Just do me a favor and don’t burn up the island, again.”  
“Not lettin’ that one go hu?”  
“Nope.”  
“Shoot.” She glanced to the side in mock disappointment and saw Hiccup’s chest on the floor. “Hey, can I borrow the Dragon Eye?”  
Hiccup looked up, skeptical, “What for?”  
She shrugged, “I don’ know. Figure it out later.”  
Hiccup looked like he wanted to say no, and he honestly did but sighed and waved her at it. Had it been Snotlout or Tuffnut asking he probably would have said no, but he trusted Ruffnut with it—despite outward appearances, she was actually fairly trustworthy. “Sure, but it better come back in one, working piece.”  
“Of course! Thanks Hic!”  
Hiccup grumbled about the name but waved as she left, yelling, “Please put it away when you’re done with it!” He turned to Toothless, “I don’t think she heard me”.  
She ran to the dragon stables where Hookfang was staying the night. He cracked an eye open as she entered. She grinned, “Hey Hookfang, wanna help me get back at Snotlout?”  
He picked his head up, a dangerously gleeful glint in his eyes.  
They flew to the cave that she and Tuffnut found earlier that week and knocked the Dragon Eye against the rock. There was a scuffle inside the cave before Snotlout came out, sing-song-ing, “Who is it?”  
At his too joyous vice she snapped, “Let me in! Astrid is driving me nuts.”  
Snotlout leaned against the rock, “No can do, poo. This is a private club. To gain entrance you would have to-”  
She pulled out the Dragon Eye.  
Snotlout stared at it, “Hang on a second.” He came back out, “You’re in.”  
Hookfang snorted at Snotlout, singing his hair, Ruffnut snickered.  
Snotlout glared, “I’m sorry! Geez, ungrateful dragon, can’t have anytime with friends…”

Hiccup looked across Dragon’s Edge, a step away from being demolished. His glare hardened as he thought about their defeat, even more worried about Viggo now than before. Fishlegs picked up a log before dropping it, “Look at this. I feel, violated.”  
Hiccup sighed, “This was the last part of Viggo’s plan.”  
“Lead us away so the rest of the Hunters and armada could stay behind and come after the Dragon Eye.”  
“How did I not see that?” How long was he using Heather? He hopped onto Toothless and flew up to his hut which looked no better than the rest of the Edge and opened his chest, “It’s gone. They got it.”  
Snotlout leaned in the doorway, “Are you sure you got it back from Ruffnut?”  
His eyes widened, “N-no, I told her to put it away…where’d you guys take it?!”  
“A cave on the northern side of the island.” He stopped mid-mount on Hookfang, “Wait, you actually gave her the Dragon Eye? Why!?”  
Hiccup sat on Toothless, “Because it’s all of ours—and I trust her.”  
“Wait, you trust her but not me, your own flesh and blood.”  
Hiccup shrugged, “Yup.”  
Astrid snickered quietly behind Snotlout as he sulked to the cave. When they landed the others naturally fell in line behind him. Hiccup wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting but, seeing the cave in utter chaos that put the rest of the Edge to shame made him question who did it. “Ok, was this the Hunters or you three?”  
Snotlout shrugged, “This is how we left it.”  
Tuffnut looked at something with a critical glare, “Except, I don’t remember that sword being there.”  
Hiccup glanced over to see a sword through an apple laying in a yak’s mouth. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, only catching the end of what Snotlout was explaining. “-ying Pirates vs Vikings and Bjorn was the pirate captain.”  
Hiccup raised an eyebrow, “You do realize that there’s little to no difference in those two, right?”  
Snotlout shrugged, “Vikings are more vicious, we put those pirates to shame…besides, we also ride dragons!”  
Astrid smirked, “Gotta agree there.”  
Tuffnut laughed, “Yeah, this is pretty much how we left it.” He walked over to a crate and pulled out the Dragon Eye, covered in some black dripping sustenance with feathers stuck to it.  
Hiccup cringed, “Ew, what on Midgard is on there?”  
“Boar rind grease.” Tuffnut said flippantly, “Don’t worry. It’ll buff out.” He spat on it then rubbed it on Ruffnut’s back who just glared at him. “See? Well, it takes a while.”  
Hiccup looked at the Eye in disgust before grabbing it with two fingers, “All right, Ruff you get to clean this up.”  
“Wait, what? Why me?!”  
“Well one, you didn’t put it back like I asked you to-”  
“Well if I hadn’t put it back in you masterful hiding place, we’d be having a different conversation.”  
“Ok, two, I wasn’t trying to hide it. I was just storing it there. And three, I gave it to you trusting that I’d get it back in the same condition you took it in.”  
Ruffnut snagged it out of his hand, “Fine.” Then proceeded to drag Tuffnut and Snotlout out by their ears, “And you two are helping me.”  
Snotlout’s face scrunched as he pulled at her pinching fingers, “Alright, alright, fine! Just let go, you’re about to tear my ear off!”

“Let’s get a closer look bud.” Hiccup whispered to Toothless, hoping the Gang’s distraction was working.  
Toothless dove for the hill that had a glowing cage on it, landing a ways before it so as not to attract as much attention. He ran forward but Hiccup stopped him, “Toothless, I’ll be fine. You stay here and keep them busy.”  
Toothless snorted at it but stayed nonetheless.  
He ran through the yard full of caged dragons, feeling awful for leaving any of them. He did stop at the Flightmare’s cage, looking at it despairingly, “What have they done to you?”  
He reached out to unlock the cage when a female’s enraged shout snapped his head around. He sighed, “I’ll be back, I promise.”  
He ran in the direction of the shout but quickly lost his direction, trying to figure out where the shout could have come from. He growled, “I’ll never find her this way.” He turned his head and saw a catapult and grinned, “That’s it.”  
The grappling from his shield wrapped around it and threw him in the air, quickly spying a cage tucked in a corner with a humanoid figure inside. “Got her.”  
He ran for the cage, grabbing her axe laying outside, and broke the lock with his shield. “Heather, Heather, come on. We gotta get outta here.”  
He pulled the fabric blanket off of her, only to step back in horror as Viggo answered, “Welcome Hiccup.”  
He held his shield tightly in his left while his right gripped her axe, “Where’s Heather?”  
Viggo stood, “Hm, bad news. She won’t be joining us tonight.” He dusted his hands off from sitting on the ground, “But, on the positive side, you’ve far exceeded my expectations. Good on you.”  
Hiccup mentally cursed himself for not foreseeing this, it was so obvious he’d do something like this. Guards popped up out of bushes and from behind trees, all armed with crossbows and recurves, aimed at him. “I’ve gotten into it this time.” He muttered too low for Viggo to hear.  
Viggo smirked, “So many guards, so little time. But please, I am enjoying this. I’ll give you a head start.”  
“Why would you do that?” Honestly, why?  
“Because, I’m nothing if not a good sport. And if I didn’t, the game would end here. And what fun would that be?”  
Hiccup ran out of the cage and into the forest towards where he left Toothless. “Think Hiccup think. Why would he give you a head start…why would I give someone a head start?” He ran past the cages, mind set on one in particular. He knows we have dragons, so escaping would be easy. Toothless isn’t far. What could it be?  
He stopped at the cage that the Flightmare was in, but it wasn’t there anymore. Viggo’s words came back instantly ‘the game would end here.’ “The game! Shoot!” He instantly ran away from the cage.  
Hiccup stopped suddenly and smirked, well, if he wants to play a game, he can play on my rules. He ran to the closest cage, containing a Nadder, and flipped the lock—thank Loki none of them were actually locked. He did that with every cage he passed before grabbing some fallen and forgotten arrows and running into the woods where Toothless met him with a disapproving eye. “Yeah, yeah, later.”  
Shouts from the Hunters that were chasing him changed as they started firing and trying to recapture the loose dragons. He chuckled and reached into Toothless’ bag as they ran, securing a small pouch to his belt. They ran out of the tree cover only to stop abruptly when two Hunters and the Flightmare crossed their path.  
“There you are Hiccup.” Toothless growled, switching between the Flightmare and Viggo. “You got a good ways, bravo.”  
“Game’s over Viggo.” His shield was in front of him, facing Viggo, so he could pull the pouch off without him noticing.  
“I’m so sorry you feel that way. Was I not a worthy adversary? Don’t answer that, your surrender speaks volumes.”  
Hiccup’s face hardened and he gripped the pouch tighter, “No one is surrendering.”  
Loki please let this work. He threw the pouch on the ground and it exploded, dark black and grey fog covering the ground. He jumped on Toothless when a hissing stopped them, Toothless tumbling towards the forest and making Hiccup fall of. Toothless recovered first and grabbed Hiccup by his collar and proceeded to drag him away.  
Viggo coughed as he ran out of the fog and waved it away. “Clever boy. After them! Do not let them off this island.”  
Toothless dropped Hiccup long enough for him to stand and swing himself onto Toothless, he clicked his prosthetic into place and Toothless flapped his wings. They rose five feet before plummeting back to earth. Hiccup looked back, wide eyed. Toothless’ tail was coated in a clear, shiny sheen and moved only like it was being thrown around with the rest of him. Instantly he recalled the hissing sound, remembering it from years ago, “No. Ok, plan B.”  
Toothless looked at him curiously, “Yes I just made up plan B, work with it.”  
His eyes rolled as if to say, what else would I do?  
Hiccup grabbed a few items from his satchel, “Ok, you lead them away while I set some things up, got it?”  
Toothless ran off and Hiccup hid in the bushes, listening as they ran by. He waited another half-minute before standing up and loosely tying the pouches to branches and jury-rigging a few snag traps. He thanked Loki for teaching him how to make the smoke bombs, apparently they were a favorite of his to reserve magic, and it was fairly simple.  
Branches and twigs snapping made him go on the defensive, hiding behind his shield, until Toothless burst out of the darkness. Hiccup sighed and nodded his head, checking Toothless’ tail, which was still frozen. How long did the effects last?  
Hiccup jumped on Toothless as footsteps and shouting started in their direction again. Toothless ran and he turned in the saddle to face the trees they just left, arrow nocked in the crossbow of his shield. Three men came out of the trees at once and he shot at the branch closest to them, making the pouch fall and explode. He shot at two other branches and chaos erupted. Toothless turned sharply, almost angling back to them, and Hiccup secured his shield on his back and glanced at Toothless’ tail again, it was moving, a bit stiffly but it was moving again.  
He grinned as they bounded out into a field, Hiccup clicked the gears and Toothless leaped. A hissing and blue mist descended on them and Toothless growled, head turning to plasma blast someone, the closest fool to him, but they were already falling and frozen. He grunted as his muscles locked, pinning him against Toothless’ back.  
Viggo walked over, grinning, from his spot near the Flightmare. “You and your Night Fury played right into my hands. Granted, you did throw a few kinks in, and I must say I was quite impressed, but it only prolonged the inevitable.”  
He moved out of his line of sight, which was quite limited, and heard something crack and crinkle like brittle paper. His saddle bag. The Dragon Eye. Viggo grunted and walked around them and opened the other saddle bag, the grunt turning into a growl, “Where is it?”

Hiccup packed a few things in his saddle bag, preparing to face Viggo—gut twisting at the thought. There was a light knock at the door and he turned to see Ruffnut, “Hey Ruff, what do you need?”  
She held up the Dragon Eye, “Got it cleaned.”  
He took it, “Thanks.”  
She nodded, turning to leave and pack when Hiccup stopped her, “Wait, Ruff. I need a favor from you.”  
She stopped and blinked, “Sure,” she grinned, “what is it? Please tell me you want to Loki someone.”  
Hiccup grinned, “Not really, at least, I hope it doesn’t come to that.” He held out the Dragon Eye for her to take, which she did with confusion, “I don’t want to leave this on the Edge again but, I’m worried that Viggo might be playing for that and expect me to have it.”  
Ruffnut looked at it, “So why not give it to Astrid? We all know she’s more trustworthy with it than I’d be.”  
“That’s exactly it. Viggo has Dagur to tell him our group’s dynamics, he’ll know that if I don’t have it the next person I’d give it too would be Astrid.”  
“Oh.” Ruffnut nodded with a grin, “Gotcha.”  
“Thanks Ruff.”  
She waved the Dragon Eye at him as she ran out.

Viggo strode in front of Toothless, directly in Hiccup’s line of sight, fuming, “Where is it? Where is the devise?”  
Hiccup wasn’t sure if he was expecting an answer, he was assuming not—or at least not at that second.  
Viggo motioned and something latched onto his shield and yanked him off of Toothless. He nodded to the Hunter and they dragged him away. They were deep in a tunnel system before he finally got feeling back in his appendages. He didn’t move for several seconds as they walked before carefully and slowly moving an arm to his belt and drawing out the dagger.  
He jammed the blade into the Hunter’s bicep, eliciting a pained yell and prompting dropping him. He hit his knees and scrambled up, already dashing around the corner they just turned by the time Viggo turned around. There was shouting but Hiccup paid it no mind, focusing on running and clutching the dagger tightly.  
Feet ran behind him but he couldn’t tell if they were gaining or not.  
“Toothless!” He cupped one hand to his mouth and roared, hoping—like him—the mist had worn off. A curt roar answered him and he pressed harder. There was a whoosh of air behind him and he instinctively ducked, expecting arrows, but tripped as a bola wrapped around his legs.  
He fell with a shout, Loki’s dagger clattering across the ground as he caught himself. He propped himself up on his elbows and moved his legs, trying to wiggle out of the ropes, before giving up three seconds later and crawling for the knife. His hand closed around the hilt when a boot landed on his wrist, not heavy enough to break it but more than enough to keep him pinned.  
He glared up at Viggo who smirked, “Nice try.”  
He grunted as they hauled him up and Viggo pried the knife from his hand and inspected it closely, balancing it on a finger, “Very nice. Doesn’t look like it’s from around here. Tell me, where’d you acquire such an exquisite dagger?”  
Hiccup growled and balled his fists, almost biting his tongue in anger. Viggo knew, he could tell by his face—and for some reason that nearly enraged him. Or maybe it was just him holding Loki’s gift. Yeah, that’s probably it.  
Viggo turned it over, scrutinizing the text engraved in the blade. “Hm, if I didn’t know better I’d say this was a fake, made by some foreigner upon request” Hiccup almost sighed in relief, “…but thankfully, I know better.”  
His eyes widened as Viggo stepped closer, trying to twist out of the Hunter’s arms but failing epically.  
Viggo turned the dagger and easily cut the leather strap holding Hiccup’s shield, falling to the ground. “Now, let’s try again, where did you get this?”  
Hiccup scowled, “What do you want, Viggo?”  
Viggo straitened and nodded down a side tunnel. He explained as they walked, “I want what you stole from me, what has belonged to my tribe for centuries.”  
Hiccup mentally nodded, “You’re talking about the Dragon Eye.”  
Viggo turned and grinned, “‘Dragon Eye’? A fitting name. If you don’t mind, I’ll use that.”  
Hiccup resisted the urge to role his eyes, “I could care less…but I-we didn’t steal it, just found it on an abandon, rotting ship. If you were so keen on getting it back after centuries, I’d’ve put more time into looking for it instead of hunting dragons.”  
Viggo chuckled, “Yes, Dagur did tell me how you found the, Dragon Eye. But tell me, I’m surprised you didn’t carry it with you—you’ve honestly shocked me there—so is it still on your island? If so, I’m surprised you’d leave it there for another possible invasion.”  
Hiccup glared but said nothing and Viggo continued with a grin, “But no, you wouldn’t—it’s too risky. So, one of the other Riders must have it but which one?” Hiccup’s glare held, hands balled so tight the nails were digging into his skin and drawing blood. “You would no doubt give it to someone who’d I least expect and, given what Dagur has described about your group, I’d say that would be the Monstrous Nightmare Rider but would you even trust him with such an important artifact? I don’t think so.”  
Hiccup mentally growled, of course he would! If it was a choice between him and someone like Viggo…ok so he wasn’t on the top of his trust list, heck, even Tuffnut was higher than he was. But that was only ‘cause he’d known him longer and they were brother tricksters. But still! Snotlout had proved himself a lot from three years ago.  
Viggo straightened his head again, “No, I believe you would leave it with either the Nadder Rider or the Gronkle Rider. Out of attention enough but highly dependable.”  
Hiccup’s lips curled up in a snarl, “Leave them alone, they have nothing to do with it.”  
Viggo stopped and grabbed his face, “O contraire dear Hiccup. One of them has what I want. And with you, I can get it. But first.” He nodded and the Hunters began to strip him of his leather vest, having a bit of difficulty as they tried to keep him restrained.  
“Hey, hey, stop! What are you doing!?”  
Viggo walked to his back and proceeded to cut his shirt with his dagger. Hiccup hissed as Viggo’s freakishly cold hands rested on his back. “Incredible, they were telling the truth.”  
Hiccup twisted his head as much as he could but still couldn’t see what held Viggo’s attention, “WHAT is it? Sweet Freya your hands are cold!”  
Viggo chuckled and patted his cheek as he passed, tossing his vest at him, but said nothing.  
The Hunters momentarily let his arms go but still held his shoulders as he put the vest back on, anxiety rising in his chest. They lead him through the tunnels until he could see firelight. They stopped and bound his hands in front of him, one holding onto his wrists as they lead him out. They appeared in a large clearing where Ryker met them. “The Riders are still circling the island.” He glanced at Hiccup. “Didn’t get what you wanted I take it?”  
Viggo’s face stayed neutral, “He wouldn’t be here if I had.”  
Ryker grunted before cupping his hands together and yelling, “Dragon Riders! If you want yer leader back, return the device you stole!”  
“They call it the Dragon Eye, brother.” Viggo calmly told him, almost seeming excited by the name.  
Hiccup glared at the brothers before glaring at the dragons and Riders. Astrid, on Toothless, landed in front of them while Stormfly, and Fishlegs and Meatlug perched on nearby boulders—Snotlout, Hookfang, the twins, Barf and Belch remained hovering in the air.  
Astrid glare at them, gripping her axe tightly and holding his shield, “We didn’t steal anything from you.”  
Viggo took a step forward and cut off her view to Hiccup, “You have the Dragon Eye, we want it back. It was ours to begin with.”  
Astrid blinked, “I don’t have the Dragon Eye.”  
Viggo looked at Fishlegs expectantly, he could only shrug nervously and shake his head. He turned to Hiccup who held his glare, “Interesting, Hiccup. Your title holds.” He turned to Astrid, “I expect you to deliver it by sunrise, or else you can forget about Hiccup’s return.”  
He turned to go back into the caves, “I’m impressed, I never thought you’d leave the Dragon Eye to chance.”  
I didn’t.  
“Wait!” Ruffnut, don’t! “Wait.”  
The Zippleback landed and Viggo turned, interested, while Tuffnut gaped at her and Hiccup before pouting ever so slightly. He was going to hear about this later…from everyone.  
Ruffnut slid off of Barf’s neck and grabbed something out of her saddle bag, “Let him go, you can have it.”  
Hiccup pulled at his captor, “Ruffnut, don’t!” And was quickly rewarded with a hard slap on the ear.  
Ruffnut glared, “If you want this back in working order you’ll stop hurting my brother.”  
Viggo’s eyes widened in understanding, “Ah, so a family of Tricksters. I see now. Very well, toss it over and we’ll send Hiccup on his way.”  
The distrust was written on more than just Ruffnut’s face but she tossed it over and the Viggo nodded to the Hunter who shoved Hiccup harshly forward. “Hiccup Haddock the Third, I’ve enjoyed our time together. I do truly hope we are able to compete together again.”  
Hiccup glared as Astrid cut his bonds and Viggo walked away with the Dragon Eye. She jumped onto Stormfly and he on Toothless, “Common, we have to go after him.”  
Astrid flew up to him, “Hiccup, we have Heather back—Dagur helped her escape while they had you.” Hiccup turned to argue but she cut him off, “I know, I’m sorry but we can’t right now. He’s probably already long gone.”  
Hiccup scowled at the now empty clearing, hand resting on the empty sheath on his belt. He clenched his first and yelled angrily at the sky before huffing, sad and angry.  
Astrid continued after he was done, trying to reassure him, “Besides, he has no Snow Wraith key. Without that, it’s useless.”  
“And he knows that. So why did he want it so badly?”  
“I don’t know Hiccup.”  
They turned when a roar pierced the air and the glowing form of the Flightmare shot into the sky. Windshear’s outline not far behind it.  
Hiccup sighed, at least the Flightmare got away.  
Astrid handed him his shield which he took a bit reluctantly, they turned and flew back for the Edge. Hiccup bent over to tie the cut strap of the shield in a spare loop for a saddle bag, the others were silent as they flew back. He looked around for Heather but didn’t see her. He sighed and lay flat against Toothless, “‘M sorry bud.”  
Toothless whined, not sure what Hiccup meant, but he was already sitting straight up again. His hand absentmindedly went back to the sheath and clutched the hilt, already missing its presence—Hiccup tightened his grip and felt the dagger in his hand. Quickly, he looked down and saw it sitting there as if it had never been taken out. He instantly ripped it out of its sheath and stared at it.  
“How~?” He turned the blade over and the letters spelling out his name glowed softly. He smiled and rested his forehead against its hilt, breathing the slightest sigh of relief “Thanks, Loki.”  
They landed, all half asleep and slowly walking to their respective huts. Hiccup stopped Astrid, however, accidentally catching Fishlegs’ attention. “Hey, Astrid?”  
“Hm?” She turned to him, eyes half closed.  
“Uh, could you look at something for me? Just real quick.”  
Her eyes opened all the way, worried, but Fishlegs beat her to the question, “Are you ok?”  
“I think so…it’s just, well it’s something Viggo did. It has me really confused.”  
“Alright.” They walked into Hiccup’s hut before he took off his vest and she saw his torn shirt. “Hiccup!?”  
Fishlegs sucked in a breath, rushing over to him   
“It’s ok, he just ripped the shirt.” They looked skeptical but he continued, “I need you to check my back.” Astrid pulled the fabric away but didn’t say anything, worrying Hiccup, “G-guys, is something wrong?”  
“How long have you had this?” She asked after a minute.  
Hiccup’s brows dipped, “Had what? For Loki’s sake had what!?”  
Fishlegs answered him, tracing it on his back, just below his left shoulder blade, “This mark.”  
“Mark?”  
Astrid nodded, “Yeah, it almost looks like a tattoo.”  
“I-I don’t have any tattoos…or any large scars back there.”  
“Hm.” Fishlegs inspected it closer, “It looks familiar…hey Hiccup, can I see your dagger?”  
Hiccup blinked but handed it to him, “Sure?”  
After a second Astrid cried, “That’s Loki’s crest!”  
“What!?” Hiccup whipped his head around and caught sight of the mark in the blade’s reflection. When did that get there?!  
Fishlegs let go of the fabric and stood, “I guess that was Loki’s way of making sure no one argued with his claim.”  
Hiccup snorted, “Yeah, but why would Viggo be interested in it?”  
Astrid frowned, “I don’t know.”

Viggo smirked as he looked at the map and information the Dragon Eye shown on the wall, Ryker still trying to comprehend how he opened it. Finally he turned back to Viggo, “I get why you needed the boy, but what was with the interest in his back?”  
Viggo turned to him, “Did you hear the reports from the Hunters you sent?”  
“Yes, wasn’t quite sure what to make of them.”  
He grinned, “They were true, the boy was marked by Loki. That and his dagger, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, simply beautiful.” He reached back to grab the dagger he’d stuck in his belt but felt nothing. He frowned and looked down, seeing absolutely nothing. “What in the-?”  
Ryker arched a brow, “Lose something?”  
“It was there.”  
Ryker rolled his eyes, “Whatever. What do you plan to do with him now?”  
Viggo turned to face him, face just a little sour, “For the moment, nothing. We’ll wait to see what Loki makes of him.”  
 


	12. Chapter 12

Writer’s Log Supplemental—12 “Zippleback Experience”

Toothless and Meatlug carried a large bolder in a net between them, Stormfly and Hookfang likewise. Hiccup stopped Toothless, “All right guys. Let’s drop the foundation right about, here.” Meatlug let go of the net and the bolder imbedded itself in the snow, “That should work. Perfect location.”  
Fishlegs beamed, “I, for one, couldn’t be happier that we’re finally-” Snotlout cut him off.  
“Setting up the new watch tower. We know.” He brought up his hand to count off, “We’ve been hearing about it for, oh I don’t know, week, month…what comes next?”  
Hiccup shook his head, “Guys, look, this is important. We’ve been seeing ships off the northern coast that have absolutely no reason being there. Now with this, we can send up an early warning signal if they come into our waters.” Toothless dove and landed in the snow.  
Snotlout and Hookfang landed right behind him. “If you’re talking about Dagur and Ryker, and that’s who I assume we’re talking about-”  
“Actually, I wasn’t-”  
“How about this?” Snotlout cut him off, “Whoever’s out there that shouldn’t be out there, let’s just get on these very effective, fire-breathing, war machines, and go out and blast them into oblivion.”  
Hiccup looked at him flatly, “And how do you propose we get there if we can’t signal for each other?”  
“I-! Well, we just—give me a minute!” Snotlout turned, lip sticking out in a pout.  
Hiccup added, “And since when do we just go around, blasting people into oblivion?”  
Hookfang growled, in a chuckling way, “Don’t worry Fang’ster, he doesn’t speak for us.”  
The twins whooped and screeched as they slid down the mountain side on Barf and Belch.  
Snotlout grinned, “Or them. Defiantly not them.”  
Hiccup smirked, “Oh, actually, I can.”  
Snotlout deadpanned him, “Really? I hardly see that.”  
Hiccup raised an amused eyebrow, “They only blast certain people into oblivion.”  
Emotions left Snotlout’s face before he glared at the quartet.  
They started firing at the slope, raining snow on themselves. Astrid frowned, “Those two muttonheads better not bring all that snow up there down on us.”  
Hiccup saw the cracks forming along the mountain, “It’s not the snow I’m worried about.” The cracks gave and the ice and snow started rolling down in a deadly wave. “It’s the ice!”  
They all took off, Hiccup steering Toothless for the cliff edge. Predictably, the twins fell off their dragon and said dragon began to tumble, unable to regain a sense of direction. They caught them after they went over the cliff edge, the weight almost dragging Toothless into the water before he gained air.  
Toothless dropped the double headed dragon on the ground, almost huffing indignantly, the twins were dropped by their dragon a second later in the same fashion. Stormfly landed behind him and he turned to check on Astrid, only to be stopped by the insistent and almost frantic licks of Barf and Belch. “Okay, I get it. Yer-you’re welcome.”  
He stood and turned in the saddle, not hearing what Astrid was saying, “Wha—Ahh!” He slipped on the ice under the snow as his prosthetic’s foot was straightened, giving no grip. He lay flat on his back, looking up at the sky, wondering—for a moment—why.  
Barf and Belch padded over to him and he started it sit up, “Oh, right-” They quickly and carefully, making sure none of their teeth punctured him, grabbed his arms and picked him up, dangling him until he spoke, “Oh-ah! C-can you put me down, guys?”  
They dropped him and he hit the ground with a grunt, Toothless looking at them flatly while he chuckled, “And it’s for moments like these that I always carry a spare.”  
The change was quick and he looked up to see all the other Riders glaring at the twins. There’s good reason I suppose, who wants to die by avalanche?  
The twins grinned in the way they usually did when they were in trouble, hands folded and slowly backing away. “So,” Tuffnut started, “if that’s all you need from us, then we’ll just be going back to….”  
He smirked, “Toothless?”  
Toothless mimicked his smirk as he shot right in front of the twins, throwing snow on them.  
“Hey! Your dragon just shot at us.” Tuffnut accused.  
Hiccup leaned casually against Toothless, “Yes, I know, I told him to.”  
“Not cool T, not cool at all.” Tuffnut pointed at him.  
Ruffnut crossed her arms, “Ungrateful. We’ve been there with them from the beginning and get no slack.”  
“Nope.” Hiccup said too cheerfully as he strode over to them, “We all gotta pull our weight out here and since you two probably won’t help build the watch tower-”  
Tuffnut cut him off, “Hey, you’re grateful that we won’t.”  
“Yeah,” Ruffnut smirked, “so we don’t mess it up.”  
Hiccup glared, “I would like you to help but I know you won’t, so, you two get to pull your weight elsewhere and get pull the first two shifts of patrol duty.”  
Ruffnut looked at him uncertainly before frowning, “He’s really become a tyrant.”  
Tuffnut was already frown/glaring, “Power will do that to you.”  
Hiccup smirked, “Well, if you want to view it that way I’m sure Snotlout would love to hand over his morning patrol to you-”  
“YES!” Snotlout cried while the twins took off running for Barf and Belch.  
“We’re on it!”  
Ruffnut grabbed Barf’s horns, “These next two shifts will never have been safer.”  
They flew off while the others returned to the Edge. He dismounted Toothless with a sigh and looked at his false leg, “Ah. This leg needs to be filed down, it’s pinching me.”  
Toothless looked at him sympathetically as he opened the door to his hut, and a cascade of fish fell on top of him. “Ahh!” He looked at the fish for a second before glaring at nothing, “Oh for the love of Loki! Who did this? Ruff, Tuff, I swear to Loki if this was you this—oh!” He visibly shook in frustration, “You will regret this! If I find out this was you, you’re swapping your afternoon shift with him for a month!”  
“Please Thor, let it be them!” Snotlout shouted from somewhere on base.  
Toothless walked over and ate a fish on Hiccup’s shoulder, “Really? You couldn’t, oh I don’t know, help me out?!”  
Toothless gurgled but grabbed his arm and pulled him out. He hopped on his back and they started circling the island, “All right, where are they? I guess, just look for a fire or a catastrophe and they’ll be nearby.”  
Something flew behind him and he turned, seeing nothing there, he frowned and turned back around. Toothless suddenly started to pull up and he sucked in a breath as the dual headed dragon flew at them, “Hu? What the-” The twins weren’t to be seen. They suddenly grabbed him and yanked him off of Toothless, Toothless flapped insistently for a few seconds before he began to fall. Hiccup fought with his arm in Belch’s mouth, “Don’t! B-Belch! No, no, no, you drop me! You drop me right now!”  
Somewhat reluctantly, Belch let go and he dove for Toothless. Toothless fought to right himself and slow his descent as Hiccup yelled “Toothless!” They connected only a few hundred feet above ground and barely slowed before they crashed, Toothless taking the brunt of it for him.  
Hiccup stood in the bushes and recollected himself, “You all there bud?” Toothless stood with an indignant and skeptical eye. “I think I am.” He brushed himself off and looked down at his leg, “And I spoke too soon.” He reached down and detached his leg, looking at it despondently before hopping out of the bushes to Toothless who snorted at his rider’s misfortune.  
“Oh, don’t worry bud. I always carry a spare for my spare.” He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out the spare, turning when Barf and Belch landed in front of them, mouths full of fish.  
“Wait, wait a minute, it was you guys? You left me all that fish?” Belch leaned down and offered him a fish. “Oh, ok, if you guys are here, and the twins are Loki knows where…” they dropped the fish and Toothless ate one, “then who’s patrolling the island?”  
Small amounts of unease and panic seeped into his chest as he climbed onto Toothless, “Come on, we need to find the twins.”  
They flew back to the base and found the twins walking by the arena, arguing. Tuffnut turned and ginned, “Hiccup, you found them!”  
They ran over to Barf and Belch, hugging them. Ruffnut asked, “Where did you two go? You had us worried sick.”  
Barf and Belch pulled out of the twins’ hands and circled back around Hiccup. “Where’d they go? Well, let’s start with—they filled my hut with fish-”  
“Ew.” Tuffnut commented, “Even for us…like all the way full or just a little full?”  
Hiccup glared and growled, “They crashed me and Toothless out of the sky. And for their finale, they broke my second spare, leg!”  
Ruffnut looked at the Zippleback standing behind Hiccup and Toothless. “Sorry, but they just threw us off.”  
“Alright, you’re not in trouble, but the four of you belong together. Now, please, can you get back on patrol an-and try to keep these two—well—oh, just go.”  
Tuffnut slung a leg over Belch, “Sorry H.”  
Hiccup sighed, “Its fine…you just, might want to avoid Snotlout for the night.”  
Ruffnut swung her head around, “What’d you say!?”  
“Come on bud.”  
“Hiccup!”  
“HICCUP!”  
He proceeded to ignore the twins’ cries and climbed higher, leveling out and aiming for the middle of the island. Seconds later the growls of Barf and Belch were behind him. He sighed heavily, “Okay bud, let’s ditch the Zippleback.”  
They dove and quickly twisted through the tight confines of the crack in the Training Ring. Toothless seemed just as annoyed as he poured speed on and angled his body to ascend faster. Hiccup glanced back and saw Barf and Belch not far behind, “Oh, get away from me, you crazy dragon!”  
Toothless dove again, into the forest this time, and Hiccup leaned in close to him as they wove through the trees. He glanced up, hoping to see the Zippleback falling behind but saw them, instead, flying right next to them, grinning madly. “Oh are you serious!?”  
Toothless pulled up and they darted around the rocky mountain faster than Barf and Belch could follow, quickly scrambling into a cave. Hiccup signaled Toothless to continue on while he ran behind a rock. Seconds later he heard heavy feet moving quickly before following Toothless out.  
Peeking out from behind the rock, Hiccup ran to the entrance and waited for Toothless’ return. He climbed down two minutes later, looking proud and stood for Hiccup to get on, “Good job bud, I think we lost ‘em.” Dual sets of light, happy growling cut off his happy moment. “And they’re behind me, right?”  
Hiccup sighed in defeat, clicking his foot into gear and taking off. They landed on the edge of the Clubhouse where Fishlegs was sitting with a very worried Tuffnut and concerned Ruffnut. At the sight of their dragon they jumped and ran over to them, only to stop as they followed Hiccup around.  
Hiccup sat with a heavy sigh, “Barf, Belch, sit.” He pointed harshly at the floor and the dragon laid down instantly, eyes curious. Hiccup rubbed the temples above his eyes, “‘M sorry guys, I don’t know why they’re doing this.”  
Tuffnut held Belch’s head sadly while Ruffnut glared at Barf’s and stroked Toothless’. “I’m feelin’ the love, guys.”  
Astrid and Snotlout filed in and she looked at him sympathetically as Belch started preening Hiccup’s hair, much to his utter annoyance. Toothless hissed and batted Belch’s head away until Barf started preening him. Toothless sat, glaring at Astrid, defeated.  
Astrid stifled a laugh, “Uhm…?”  
Hiccup glared at her, “Don’t, say. Anything….I’m going to bed. Maybe this is just a nightmare.”  
Snotlout snickered, “Awe, is Dragon Boy annoyed by dragons?”  
Hiccup’s glare fixed on Snotlout before leaving.

The next day Hiccup entered the Clubhouse sitting on Toothless who padded in with extreme annoyance, Barf and Belch following looking as happy as ever. Astrid glanced at his chard appearance but ignored it, figuring he spent the night with his forge. Toothless dropped him off at a stool and promptly plopped on the ground behind him, followed by Barf and belch. The Clubhouse shook, startling the occupants. Hiccup groaned and turned to glare at Barf and Belch, “Guys, stop copying Toothless. You’re two different species of dragon! Things don’t work the same!”  
Astrid reached out a hand, “Are you ok Hiccup?”  
He buried his head in his arms, “No, no I’m not. Someone please go get Gobber.”  
Snotlout looked up from his lamb chop, “Why? Can’t handle two dragons?”  
Hiccup lifted his left leg, “No, because I need to be able to walk and fly-”  
Barf and Belch perked up, grabbing Hiccup by the arms.  
“For Loki’s sake stop!”  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut glared at the Zippleback, the former asking, “Guys, seriously?”  
Snotlout burst out laughing, “They destroyed your other leg! How many’s that in two days?! Oh this is good.”  
The three tricksters glared at him, effectively shutting him up. Tuffnut frowned and crossed his arms, “I’d fly to Berk but someone, who I shan’t name, isn’t letting us fly them.”  
Astrid sighed, “I’ll fly back, be back shortly.”  
Hiccup nodded and grabbed a cooked fish, “I’ll be here.”  
She left and they resumed breakfast, they finished before Hiccup decided to drop the bomb on Snotlout, “Hey, Fishlegs, Snotlout, I need you two to pick up double shifts on patrol until Astrid gets back and I can fix my leg.”  
“WHAT?!”  
“Sure Hiccup.”  
“Snotlout, please-”  
“No, no-no! Barf and Belch can still fly!”  
Hiccup sighed, “And they aren’t letting the twins fly them for some odd and probably stupid reason.”  
Snotlout frowned deeply, not willing to take on extra shifts and cut into his precious nap time. “Why don’t you fly them?”  
“Because flying a Zippleback solo is not advisable.”  
Snotlout growled, “I better be seriously well compensated for this.”  
“I can make sure the twins don’t blow up your hut while you’re out.” Hiccup answered nonchalantly as he drank from the cup.  
The twins snickered and Snotlout paled then glared. “Fine. But if there’s one burnt wall or thing or anything in my hut, there will be retribution.”  
Hiccup nodded, “I’ll keep them in check.”  
A short while later Hiccup found himself in the twins’ hut, keeping them and their dragon out of trouble. Hiccup sat doodling Toothless when Tuffnut came over to him, “So, H. My sister and I had an idea for a prank but-”  
Ruffnut grinned, “It can also double as a defense for the island.”  
Hiccup’s mouth twitched into a smile, “Ok guys, what is it?”  
The day was way too long for Hiccup and walking was even worse. The twins found him a peg leg, why they had it he didn’t want to know, that was what most Vikings would have used—so comfort wasn’t existent. When Gobber arrived that evening Hiccup could have passed out from joy—having to deal with a grounded dragon and another that won’t leave either dragon or rider alone was enough to grate on his nerves.  
Hiccup sat outside his hut and glared at Barf and Belch, who held his other two—broken—legs. “Give me those.”  
They sat him back down by curling their necks around him. Ruffnut and Tuffnut only frowned, having grown accustom to their dragon essentially disowning them.  
Gobber decided to try and lighten the mood, “So, you ruined all your legs, eh? Every single one?”  
Hiccup pushed Barf’s head away while Toothless snorted at them, “Well, technically, no. Barf and Belch did. Every single one.”  
Barf and Belch decided that now would be a great time for a bath, interrupting whatever Gobber’s reply was going to be. “UGH! I get enough of that from Toothless!” Hiccup tried to push Belch’s head away but the dragon remained firm, so he went to plan B. Covering his head with his hands and arms.  
“Really? Right in front of our faces?” Tuffnut asked, rolling his eyes.  
Ruffnut looked torn between hurt and angry, more so the latter, “We’re here, you know. Right here!”  
Fishlegs looked at the new quartet in confusion, “That’s weird. Zipplebacks are normally fiercely loyal. Why are they doting on Hiccup and ignoring you two?”  
Gobber paused in his pounding, “Well, didn’t Hiccup pull them out of the way of a deadly avalanche?”  
“Yeah…?” He still fought the licking dragon head.  
“Well, there you go. Same thing as my cousin, Bard. He saved a Zippleback from a Changewing. The two-headed beast wouldn’t leave him alone…for years.”  
“When did this happen?” Hiccup asked, not remembering hearing this story told by Gobber in the years that he knew him.  
Tuffnut prodded for more information, “So, this could go on for…”  
“Ever. It’s a life-debt. Barf and Belch will now serve Hiccup for the rest of their lives or until the debt is repaid. Whichever comes first.”  
Hiccup was as much mortified by this turn of events as the twins were. “Does this mean that we could be stuck with Barf and Belch forever?”  
“Does this mean we could lose Barf and Belch forever?”  
“Yes, and yes.”  
Ruffnut paced Hiccup’s hut after Gobber left, Tuffnut sitting at a table thinking. She stopped suddenly, “So, for them to repay the life debt then we need to make a situation for them too.”  
Hiccup sighed, “Uh, guys-”  
“Yes!” Tuffnut cheered, “And I have the perfect idea. We’ll cut some boards on the high walks so when you step on it, Hiccup, you’ll fall though!”  
“Uh, g-guys? I really don’t-”  
Ruffnut patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ll have some rope tied around your leg so you won’t die.”  
“Eh,” Hiccup frowned, “I’d also really rather not play a game of Bat-the-‘nut, I like intact ribs.”  
Tuffnut deflated, “True, they probably would think that. Well then we could-!”  
Hiccup stopped him, “Guys, we get into enough trouble as it is. The next skirmish with the Hunters and we’ll set up a situation where Barf and Belch will need to help out.”  
Ruffnut frowned, “Yeah, but how are we going to be there.”  
He rested his head on a hand, “Tomorrow we can try flying, maybe they’ll do ok with you guys on them if their near me.”  
Tuffnut shrugged and Ruffnut nodded, “Worth a shot I guess. Sleep well.”  
Hiccup glanced worriedly at the snoring Zippleback, “Yeah…I might camp outside for a few nights…”  
They snickered, “And you wonder why we’re always blowing things up.”  
He raised an eyebrow, “Oh I still blame you, you taught them how.”  
Ruffnut shrugged, “Their dragons. A dragon’s going to do, what a dragon’s gonna do.”  
“Uh-hu, only made worse by you two.”

The next day proved to be almost fruitless. Barf and Belch begrudgingly allowed the twins to ride them, as long as they could fly without they’re hindrance. The double headed dragon nearly had a heart attack though when Hiccup fell off of Toothless.  
Ruffnut screamed madly, though from utter joy and exhilaration, as they dove after the two while Tuffnut yelled, “You know, after living around them for almost four years—you’d think they’d know that they do this a lot.”  
“I know, but this is still great!”  
“True that sister!”  
Just before Barf and Belch could catch them, Toothless slipped under Hiccup and they pulled up.  
Ruffnut pouted, “Ah man, really Hiccup?”  
He blinked and looked back at her, “What?”  
“You could’ve totally let Barf and Belch catch you! They completely though you were falling to your doom!”  
Tuffnut crossed his arms, tut-tutting him, “For shame.”  
“We could try it again…I do have the Dragon Fly I need to test out some more.” Toothless flicked his head so an ear flap smacked Hiccup, “See, even Toothless agrees.”  
Tuffnut crossed his arms, smirking, “Yeah, Toothless doesn’t agree.”  
Ruffnut leaned over to smack her brother, “No you idiot, what he means is it would be a perfect time for an ‘accident’ to happen.”  
“Oh!”  
Hiccup buried his head in his hands before preparing to test the flight suit. Toothless growled with displeasure and Hiccup patted his side, “It’s alright bud, we’re just doing one little-”  
Toothless dove without any warning, forcing Hiccup to clench the saddle and quickly adjust the tail fin. They continued to fall until ocean was all either could see, mere yards above the waves Toothless pulled up—flattening Hiccup against him even more—quickly ascending over a cliff and landing. Hiccup let out small sigh, glaring at Toothless, having flown practically blind. “Was that really necessary?”  
Toothless grumbled and turned his head up and away.  
The twins and their dragon landed a moment later, Ruffnut frowning, “You know, I really don’t think that Toothless approved.”  
Hiccup gave a slightly lopsided grin, “Yeah, we’ll we can still try it out over at the cove cliff, there’s plenty of good, strong breeze-”  
Toothless turned back around and grabbed Hiccup by the back of his vest, picking him up so only the top of his foot could scrape the ground, and proceeded to waddle away.  
“Hey-what the-? Toothless! Hey, put me down you crazy dragon! Toothless, what is wrong with you!?”  
Barf and Belch trotted off after them, leaving behind a pair of stunned twins. Tuffnut turned to his sister, “I, didn’t see that coming.”  
Ruffnut nodded, “He really doesn’t seem to like Hiccup getting into danger.”  
He nodded then looked at her questioningly, “Then how did Toothless end up with the one Viking who finds it the most? I mean, really, he puts even us to shame.”  
“Loki must have been bored.” Was all she could answer with. “But, really, this makes it a lot hard to try and get Barf an’ Belch back on our side if Toothless won’t let him get in trouble.”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Yeah, can’t even blame Hiccup for that one.” He turned to Ruffnut, “Time to get planning?”  
She grinned evilly, “Oh yes.”  
Late that night they both were up, working on a plan to put Hiccup in danger and get Toothless away from him at the same time. The former was fairly easy to come up with, there was literally thousands of options they had, but the latter—that was harder. The dragon seemed to have a sixth sense about danger. Probably had to with Hiccup being his rider.  
Tuffnut looked over the plans that Ruffnut drew up, “Too dumb, not dangerous enough, that can’t work. Wait, wow!” He grabbed a sheet and stared at it in awe, “That, is awesome. Hiccup would never go for it, would he? No, that’s way too destructive, even for us.”  
Ruffnut didn’t look up from her latest drawing, “Maybe, after this whole mess is over and done with we can convince Hiccup into making it a base defense.”  
Tuffnut beamed, “Oh yes, the destruction it could wreak on Dagur and those Dragon Hunters would be awesome!”  
His head snapped up as he heard something crack, a second later Ruffnut threw the charcoal pencil she was using with a shout of frustration and rage.  
He picked up the pencil, “What is it sis? I haven’t seen you this sad since Bjorn Boar lost in the inter-archipelago sectionals.”  
“Oh, Bjorn Boar.” She said softly, looking away before looking back at him, “That was a sad day, but this is worse. Do you realize that we have nothing? Nothing, I tell you! If we don’t think of something, we may never get Barf and Belch back.” She fought back tears, “Why, Tuff, why? Why do they love him more than us?”  
Tuffnut took a seat next to his sister, who dropped her head on the table. “It’s the forbidden fruit. You always want what you can’t have. The dragon’s always hotter on the other side.” He went silent for a little bit, trying to think of an idea when Ruffnut mumbled.  
“At least they chose Hiccup instead of someone like, Snotlout or something.”  
Tuffnut perked up, “That’s it!”  
Ruffnut lifted her head, “What?”  
“I have the perfect idea to get Barf and Belch back, and we need someone diabolical. Someone completely devoid of any continence or human emotion whatsoever.”  
Ruffnut lifted her head, a small smirk finally making its way on her face.  
That morning they discussed the plan with Snotlout, or, part of the plan—they had told them it was a prank on Hiccup which Snotlout was eager to agree to, after all, Thor knows how many times Hiccup’s pranked him. Even though he could never actually prove it.  
After that, it was a simple matter of getting Toothless away from Hiccup’s hut. Simple was a kind term. Hiccup was known to be a late sleeper but you never could tell if he was in a deep or light sleep, so that made it difficult.  
Toothless was sunbathing in front of the door, curled in a loose ball.  
“Hey T!”  
He lifted an eye lid and looked at the male twin suspiciously, eyeing Ruffnut as she stepped out from behind him. “What’s with the suspicion?” Toothless growled and grumbled, turning his head to look away. “Look, we got dragon feeding duty this morning so, com-on.”  
Toothless didn’t budge or even open an eye, just huffed contently.  
Tuffnut cursed under his breath, “Dang Hiccup for personally feeding his dragon instead of with the group.”  
Ruffnut nodded, “Yeah, really makes him lazy in the mornings until Hiccup gets up.”  
Toothless swatted at them with his tail, wanting to get back to his peaceful sunbathing before the pestering Zippleback came back.  
Ruffnut sighed, “Alright Toothless, I’ll cut straight with you.” Tuffnut was about to object but Ruffnut planted her hand over his mouth, “Hiccup screwed up the patrol scheduling and stuck us on morning shift, and we don’t have a dragon to fly.”  
Toothless looked at them with something between disbelief and hopelessness, promptly laying his head down again.  
Ruffnut sighed, “I swear, he’s like a big, lazy cat.”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “I can’t say I blame him. I mean, laying around all day, eating, no chores or patrols…who can blame him?”  
“True that.”  
Toothless stood and stretched, yawning while he did so. After proper stretching maneuvers, he ran off to where Stormfly was squawking. Said dragon flew by a minute later and the two ran off, playfully swiping and pouncing on each other.  
Tuffnut blinked, “I, guess that solves that.”  
Snotlout came around a moment later, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.  
Ruffnut beamed, “You ready?”  
He grinned, “To punch Hiccup? Oh yeah, payback.”  
As they left the twins snickered between themselves, Tuffnut whispering, “I don’t know if I want Barf and Belch to get him, or for Hiccup to get him back.”  
Ruffnut grinned, “I vote for the one that gets our dragon back…though we might also get the other if he’s still alive.”  
They climbed a dragon roost and watched as Snotlout waited for Hiccup. Less than twenty minutes later he emerged, yawning and only half awake. They could clearly hear the exchange below and glanced at the sky constantly, hoping to see Barf and Belch so the plan could really start.  
When Ruffnut returned her gaze Hiccup was flat on his back, gingerly holding an eye that would probably, nicely, bruise in a few hours.  
“Here they come!” Tuffnut pointed the Zippleback landing at the back of the hut where there was space too. “Life-debt no more!”  
Ruffnut looked back down at Hiccup who was adamantly refusing to fight Snotlout, “You think Snotlout’ll get barbecued?”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Sis, I’m afraid to tell you, I always knew would end up as collateral damage.”  
“-is a coward!”  
Both Ruff and Tuffnut frowned at that, the former turning to her brother, “Oh, if he doesn’t get barbecued by Barf and Belch, he’ll get flattened by Hiccup.”  
They both watched, enraptured as Snotlout stood—arms open—and Hiccup reeled back an arm and swung. “OW!” Snotlout spun in a circle, mumbling something, before collapsing back onto the deck. Barf and Belch then came around and dropped a net load of fish behind Hiccup.  
Both siblings looked on in disbelief. Ruffnut watched Barf and Belch fly away, “That, was incredible.”  
“Who knew that that scrawny, little, one-legged, trickster of a Viking, had that in him.”  
Ruffnut was utterly depressed, “Oh, brother. That’s it. There’s nothing left.”  
Tuffnut turned to her, “I guess Gobber was right, we’ve lost our dragon for good.”  
She smiled a little as she pointed out, “But on the bright side, Snotlout did just get punched in the face.”  
Tuffnut beamed for a second before it fell, “Yeah! If only I could enjoy it.”  
Hiccup looked directly at them, “Get down here now! And get him some ice!”  
They came down with an ice block for Snotlout’s already swollen cheek which Hiccup gave to him instantly, looking apologetic. “What in Loki’s name is going on?!”  
“Uh-” Tuffnut feebly explained, “A last ditch effort to get our dragon back?”  
“Guys, I told you we’d get your dragon back.”  
Snotlout glared at Tuffnut, “You guys told me that this was a payback prank on Hiccup!”  
They shrugged, “It was the only way to get you to play along.”  
He chocked, spitting out a tooth, Hiccup groaned, “My tooth!”  
Hiccup turned to the twins, “And just why was this your top plan?”  
“Well,” Ruffnut started, “one, we needed Toothless away from you-”  
“Yeah,” Tuffnut butted in, “that dragon’s ruined a few great ideas.”  
“And two…we just never expected you to, well, to stand up to Snotlout like that.”  
Tuffnut nodded, “Oh yeah, we defiantly weren’t expecting Thor’s mighty hammer to meet Snotlout’s paper jaw.”  
Snotlout shouted and growled at them unintelligibly.  
Hiccup frowned, “So, ok, you do realize if Barf and Belch had been there to save me,” he gestured over to Snotlout with a look of concern, “Snotlout would’ve been roasted alive?”  
Snotlout looked up with a gasp and glared at the twins who answered, “We took that into account in our risk assessment.”  
Hiccup’s hand found its way to him temple, “Oh Loki.”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “To be fair, in our risk assessment—we took into account all the times he’s punched or harassed you since we’ve been brothers-”  
“And figured it was justly deserved.” Ruffnut finished.  
Snotlout gasped again, looking horrified, Hiccup couldn’t blame him either. “Guys, look, thank you for having my back but—this is a bit out of hand.” Snotlout nodded painfully.  
They looked down, “Sorry Hiccup.”  
He nodded, “Ok, now that that’s sorted out…who’s on patrol if Snotlout’s here?”  
“Oh…” Tuffnut said dumbly.  
Ruffnut looked at him, “I knew we were forgetting something.”  
Hiccup sighed/moaned, “Great. Get on Barf and Belch, I’ve got to cover Snotlout’s shift since he’s in no position to right now.”  
Tuffnut shrugged, “We’ll he’s had worse and still flown.” Hiccup glared at them. “Right! Mounting Belch now!”  
They took off and started the late patrol. The twins goaded Barf and Belch to fly next to Toothless so they could talk easier. “So, Hiccup,” Tuffnut yelled, “we, Ruffnut, had another awesome idea that was too destructive for a prank…”  
“But would make for an awesome island defense!”  
Hiccup shook his head, “We’ll talk about it after patrol, and breakfast.”  
Both flashed him a thumbs and giant smiles.  
He leaned down and patted Toothless’ side, “What have I gotten myself into?”  
Toothless growled lowly, mimicking a chuckle.  
Hiccup swatted his ear flap, “Really? You’re in this too.”  
The chuckling stopped, his head turned enough so he could glare at Hiccup with one eye.  
Hiccup turned in his saddle to address the twins, or Barf and Belch, “We’re going to do a full island sweep this round. You check the west forest and I’ll cover the northern beach.”  
He started to peel off only to stop when Ruffnut yelled, “Uh, Hiccup, they’re not listening.”  
Groaning, Hiccup turned Toothless around so he could look the Zippleback straight in the eyes, or at least one head anyway. “Look guys, if you want to help with this whole life-debt thing, you can cover the western woods, I’ll be fine for two minutes.”  
The Zippleback looked unconvinced about the last statement but turned away, intending to finish their job quickly. Tuffnut grumbled, “How does he do it?”  
“I don’t know, but hey—we get them to ourselves for a couple minutes.”  
Hiccup laughed, “Come-on bud, let’s get this check out real quick so we can go eat.”  
Toothless tore off for the beach, eager at the prospect of food. Breeching the trees, everything looked fine until a something bobbed in the mid tide by the surf. Hiccup gestured Toothless down and they found a smaller landing boat moored to a rock. He frowned, the boat was unmarked but gave no indications as to just how long it had been there. “Come on Toothless, I want a larger sweep of the island.”  
They were back in the air in a second, heading out to sea, and completely ignoring the worried roars of Barf and Belch catching up behind them. The island was the size of a Nightmare before the pair finally stopped and the twins and Barf and Belch caught up. “Hhhhiiiiiiiiccuuuuuppp!”  
He turned to see them clinging to Barf and Belch for dear life. They stopped once next to him, Tuffnut looking up at him, eyes wide, “H, don’t ever do that again.”  
Hiccup smiled apologetically, “Sorry, but we found a long boat at the beach-”  
“Dragon Hunters?” Ruffnut immediately asked.  
Hiccup shook his head, “Don’t know, there weren’t any markings. But I want to sweep the waters back surrounding the Edge as we head back.”  
Tuffnut pointed at Belch, “Good luck getting them to separate from you again.”  
“Sorry, let’s head back, I want to let the others know.”  
They continually searched the waters but saw nothing as they made it back to the Edge. Everyone was in the Clubhouse eating, or attempting to eat in Snotlout’s case. After quickly explaining the situation Astrid glared the twins, “Great job, now there’s Dragon Hunters on the island.”  
“Hey!” They cried out indignantly while Hiccup placed himself between them.  
“Everyone just calm down-”  
Fishlegs spoke quietly, “The Hunters are probably here because Snotlout wasn’t on patrol this morning.”  
“No,” he said at Fishlegs then turned to Astrid, “no, that boat’s been there for a little while at least. It could’ve come days ago for all we know.”  
Snotlout paled, “So, not only are there probable Dragon Hunters on the island, but they’ve been here for a couple of days, spying on us?!”  
“Yes.”  
“Great, just, great.”  
Astrid stuck her hands on her hips, “Well I say that until we find these Hunters we put the base on lockdown.”  
“Oh,” Fishlegs hugged Meatlug, “I’m not sure, Meatlug never does well during lockdowns.”  
Snotlout scoffed, “She doesn’t do good during anything.”  
Fishlegs glared and started reasoning why before Hiccup interrupted them, “Guys-”  
An argument broke out between Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs over the matter, the twins randomly cheering them on.  
“Guys!”  
Still no one heard, or listened.  
Fed up, Hiccup signaled Toothless. A small plasma blast broke up the ‘conversation,’ “Alright, now that that’s behind us, we won’t put the island on lockdown-” Astrid turned to him with a worried face but he held up a hand, “yet. We don’t know if they’re Dragon Hunters or not yet.”  
Snotlout looked unconvinced, “Who else would they be? Anyone else would’ve come to us for help already if they were stranded.”  
“Not necessarily.” Fishlegs argued, “The dragons might have scared them or at least made them warry.”  
Hiccup nodded, “Exactly. So, for now, we’ll keep a constant patrol. Two at a time. The twins and Barf and Belch will have to be with me you three will have to rotate between yourselves.”  
Snotlout snickered, “Have fun with those two.”  
Hiccup smirked, “I will.” He turned to Astrid and Fishlegs, “Can you guys take the first shift? The twins and I will relieve you after lunch.”  
She nodded, “Sure thing Hiccup.”  
Hiccup turned to the twins, “I believe you said you guys had an island defense?”  
Snotlout groaned and buried his cheek back in the, now small, cube of ice, “Oh great, there goes the island.”  
Tuffnut grinned, “Can we test it out on his hut first?”  
“Please!” Ruffnut begged.  
Snotlout, horrified, looked beggingly at Hiccup.  
Hiccup sighed, coving his laugh, “Well see, probably not. I don’t want to have to clean up and repair the damage.”  
Their shoulders slumped, “Oh, ok.”  
“Com-on.”  
Their idea was actually a decent one. It was a ballista like contraption but the bolts were a spike version that could penetrate but would be impossible to remove without excessively damaging the target more. It would be smaller and more maneuverable than the ballista on Astrid’s roof but just as deadly.  
Hours later of planning and sketching left the three of them hungry. Hiccup turned to his cohorts, “You guys can go ahead and get lunch, I’ll take the long way around.”  
Tuffnut frowned, “You sure Hiccup?”  
He smiled, “Yeah, I need to stretch for a bit before we relieve Astrid and Fishlegs.”  
They shrugged, “Alright, see you in a while.”  
They ran out and he chuckled, turning to the dragons, “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”  
The day was cool but the sun was warm, Hiccup reveled in the first silence of the day. Toothless was quiet beside him, his paws making little to no sound in the soft dirt. Barf and Belch were also silent, playing around by jumping from bush to bush and tree to tree. For being a larger dragon, and especially, for living around the twins for so long—they were still incredibly silent and stealthy. More than once he had to glance back to see if they were still there, they would usually poke a head out and grin at him.  
Toothless growled suddenly and curled around Hiccup. He frowned, “What is it bud?”  
The Zippleback had gone completely silent and when he turned to look for them neither head poked out. His stomach tightened slightly. Head still turned, he reached out for Toothless’ saddle, only to whip around as the twang of a crossbow and a whistle of a bolt streaked toward him.  
Toothless roared and shoved Hiccup to the ground before the quieter twang of a bow and another crossbow bolt whistle hit. His pained roar became a heavier weight on Hiccup who was now beginning to panic, “Toothless? Toothless?! Oh Loki, what’s happening?”  
Muffled voices became urgent and Toothless’ weight was removed. He was hoping to see Astrid, or even Barf and Belch there but two Dragon Hunters were there instead.  
His eyes widened and instantly started shouting, knowing who’d the closest would be, “Ruff, Tuff-!”  
A hand clamped over his mouth as the other quickly set to binding his hands. The one holding him asked, “He’s already seen us, do we really need to blindfold him?”  
Hiccup thrashed again, momentarily slipping out of their hold but immediately fell back in it.  
The other nodded, “Ryker’s orders.”  
They shoved a thick bag over his head, “Hey.”  
“Shut ‘im up before the others hear.”  
That must mean the others aren’t far, or they just saw a patrol fly over. “Astrid! Someone he-hmphg!”  
He was thrown over a shoulder and one of them asked, “Hey, wasn’t there two dragons? Where’d the Zippleback go?”  
“Don’t know, probably ran away at the sight of us. Some loyalty.” Hiccup wanted to argue about that point but was too relieved that they had slipped away.  
He couldn’t tell how much time had passed from his kidnapping to when their landing boat bumped against a larger hull but the light filtering through the think bag had diminished quite a bit. He wondered why the Gang was taking so long, though, before the thought that maybe Barf and Belch didn’t go back for help but instead followed. Great, just great…that would be them.  
Hiccup grunted as he was tossed against something hard and wooden, a mast if he had to guess as they weren’t below decks. A second later someone ripped away the gag and pull off the sack. Predictably, Ryker and Dagur stood there, grinning.  
“Looks like you little island stronghold isn’t so strong after all. It’s completely unguarded from the north.” Dagur knelt down to be on eye level with him, “You know, doesn’t take much to put up a watchtower.”  
Hiccup glared, “You obviously don’t really know my group.”  
Dagur shrugged and nodded, “That’s true, but I’ve seen all of you build some incredible things, except maybe Snot-hat. I mean, just look at you base now! How much work would it be to build a watchtower? What do you do without a watchtower?” He chuckled. “It’s preposterous.”  
It’s called, dragons, a small, irritating voice that sounded a lot like Snotlout said in his mind.

Astrid paced the Clubhouse worriedly, glancing out at the fast fading sun, Ruffnut and Tuffnut also sat by the fire with concern. Snotlout was glaring out the door, numerous plans on how to kill Hiccup running wild through his mind as they spent the entire afternoon searching for him! Fishlegs played with his fingers nervously.  
Astrid finally stopped with a sigh, turning to the twins, “Are you sure he said he was coming here for lunch and taking the long way?”  
Ruffnut rolled her eyes while Tuffnut answered, “Yes!”  
“For the hundredth time!” Ruffnut shouted.  
Her bother continued, “He said he’d meet us here for lunch then we’d go on patrol.”  
“He wanted to go the long way because he wanted to stretch.” Ruffnut finished.  
Fishlegs pointed out with concern, “That should’ve only taken him twenty minutes, at most.”  
Astrid frowned, “And you didn’t think to go with him, why?”  
They shrugged, “‘Cause we were hungry.”  
Ruffnut added, “And because he already had two dragons with him.”  
Snotlout threw his hands in the air, “Hiccup’s missing and so is that boat by the beach! It’s Dragon Hunters I tell you! So why don’t we go out there and look for them!?”  
Astrid breathed in annoyance, “Because we did, or don’t you remember the three hours you spent complaining?”  
“Hey!” Snotlout defended, “That was five hours ago when he could have been hiding with Toothless, Barf and Belch.”  
A roar erupted from outside the Clubhouse and they all perked up, Ruffnut reacting first and running to the door, “That’s Toothless!”  
Minutes or moments later, the Riders couldn’t tell, Toothless came bursting into the Clubhouse, ‘nocking over Ruffnut in his haste. He roared frantically, even resulted to grabbing Astrid’s arm and yanking her outside. All eyes fell on a fresh but clotted wound on his upper left leg.  
Fishlegs put a hand on Toothless back to get a closer look at the wound, “It’s an arrow wound!”

Hiccup sat against the mast, only half listening to what Dagur was rambling on about, testing the ropes—for the dozenth time—and looking for the double headed dragon he knew couldn’t be far.  
“We are gonna extract every little piece of dragon knowledge from that tiny coconut shaped noggin. We’re gonna use you to take us to every island that Dragon Eye has led you to.” Dagur was grinning madly.  
Hiccup looked up at him unconvinced, “How do you know I remember just where all we’ve been?”  
Metal on metal grated in his ears, followed by Ryker’s laugh and his sword at his neck, “I hope you don’t.”  
The ship suddenly rocked, throwing all its continents across the ship. Ryker growled and Dagur looked around madly for the cause as a green mist began engulfing the ship. Hiccup waited until it was lit, giving the perfect cover to run. He duck behind the second mast as Dagur and Ryker began shouting about his absence.  
Barf and Belch started to land near him but he frantically gestured with his head to the back of the ship, trying to make the explosion face that he could. Luckily, when it came to anything with pranks or explosions the dragon seemed abnormally smart. They flew back to provide a distraction but not before firing a small blast at the mast.  
Hiccup quickly burnt the binding off and ran for the helm of the ship, dodging a few axes on the way. There was only one Hunter on the deck and he quickly abandoned the wheel to attack him. He swung with an axe and Hiccup was able to catch the arm before it imbedded the axe in him but the man kept pressing, making him groan as he fought to push it off to the side.  
Suddenly Barf and Belch landed and threw the man away from Hiccup and into the water. He grinned at them, thankfully, before running to the wheel.  
Men started climbing up the ladders and Barf and Belch looked at each other before nodded, firing a massive ball of flames in the sky. They reached the top, only to immediately have to contend with Barf and Belch.  
Hiccup gripped the wheel and jerked it as hard as he could, it was sent spinning and the entire ship jerk a second later—leaning madly. Everyone forgot about the fight, desperate to find something to hold on to before they took a tumble into the water. Hiccup grunted as he clutched the wheel’s stand.  
The ship righted itself a few seconds later, but many of its crew was in the water. Hiccup stood turning to Barf and Belch when a growl/yell made him refocus, but not in time as Ryker slammed into his side—sending him skidding across the topmost deck.  
He grunted and Ryker raised his sword and Hiccup curled in, protecting his head, before Belch grabbed Ryker and threw him across the ship. He grinned at them, “Phew! Nice job guys…Get us out of here.”  
They leapt off the deck, tail hitting the wheel and again rocking the ship.

The next day Hiccup saw Barf and Belch playing Bat-the-Nut with the twins again, “Thank Loki everything’s back to normal.”  
Astrid grinned, “You don’t like being followed by two dragons?”  
“Two and a half and no, not when one of them’s a Rider’s dragon and it causes havoc on the Edge.”  
Astrid smirked, “You mean, ruining all your legs.”  
Hiccup huffed, “That too.”


End file.
